§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the four areas in Scotland most affected by the reduction of 4,000 available staffed beds from 1981, reported in the September 1988 "Health Briefing" of the information and statistics division of the Scottish Health Service.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe provisional figure for the reduction in the average number of available staffed beds in NHS hospitals in Scotland between the years ending 31 March 1981 and 1988 was 3,663. In terms of absolute numbers the health boards most affected were Greater Glasgow (-1,836), Lanarkshire (- 579), Forth Valley (-463) and Tayside (-408). The reduction in the total number of beds has to be seen in the context that Scotland still has at the latest date for which comparisons can be made 60 per cent. more beds in relation to population than England.