§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute beds were available in the NHS in England in(a) May 1997 and (b) June 2001; and how many are forecast for June 2004.[1607]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is not collected centrally in the format requested. We do not have bed availability data for specific dates as the returns are made on a financial year basis.
The latest released figures are for the year 1999–2000. Figures on the average daily number of available acute beds in England are available in the annual publication "Bed availability and occupancy—England", copies of which are available in the Library.
The National Health Service Plan states an increase of 2,100 general and acute beds for England by 2004.