§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many places there were in the special hospitals at(a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton (i) in 1996–97 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available. [10518]
§ Jacqui SmithThe information requested is given in the table.
Contracted places 1996–97 October 2001 Ashworth Hospital 500 427 Broadmoor Hospital 443 408 Rampton Hospital 448 430 Total 1,391 1,265 The reduction in contracted places reflects our policy that patients inappropriately placed in the high security hospitals should be moved to more appropriate accommodation.