HC Deb 30 June 1998 vol 315 c168W
23. Mr. Love

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to increase the number of acute beds in the NHS. [46624]

26. Ms McCafferty

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS beds are expected to be provided through the extra money made available to the NHS from the 1998 Budget. [46628]

Mr. Boateng

As a result of the extra £417 million we have made available for the National Health Service in England this year, an extra 2,000 acute beds and day case places are being opened to tackle waiting lists and the closure of a further 1,100 beds has been deferred.

31. Mr. Dennis Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the change in the number of acute beds in the NHS between 1979 and 1997. [46633]

Mr. Milburn

There was an average of 148,725 beds available on acute wards in England in 1979, compared with 108,895 in 1996–97, a fall of 39,830.