The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1990-1997

1983-1987 Parliament

Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Psychiatric Beds – 23 October 1986

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Psychiatric Beds on 23rd October 1986.


Mr. Ashley Asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many psychiatric in-patient beds there are in Britain per 100,000 people; and what are the corresponding figures for psychiatric beds, where there are staff able to communicate, per 100,000 pre-lingually deaf people.

Mr. Major In 1985, the latest year for which figures are available centrally, the average daily number of available beds in mental illness specialities per 100,000 population in England was 161. Information for the rest of Great Britain is a matter for the my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales. Information is not held centrally on the corresponding figures for psychiatric beds where the staff are able to communicate with pre-lingually deaf patients.