§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list, for each district health authority, and for each year since 1979(a) whole hospitals closed permanently and the numbers of beds lost and (b) partial permanent hospital closures and the number of beds lost.
§ Mrs. Currie[holding answer 3 December 1987]: The hospitals approved for (a) complete closure and (b) partial closure, and the beds in each hospital, between January 1979 and December 1986, are listed in a table which has been placed in the Library. It should be noted that closure plans may be modified, delayed or even dropped after approval is obtained. Since many of these closures were the direct consequence of new hospitals opening and since others have reopened in the voluntary and private sector it is impossible to say how many beds were "lost".