asked the Minister of Health, if he is aware of the general concern aroused by the case of a 10-yearold girl, who, instead of being placed in a special school for maladjusted children, has for seven months been the only child in a mental hospital with 1,200 mentally ill adults; and, in view of occurrences in the past of a similar character, where boys and girls have been detained with mentally ill adults, how many further cases there are of children under 13 years of age being kept with adult patients in mental hospitals.

I am aware of this case. As regards the second part of the Question, figures are not available in this precise form, but at 1st April there were 202 mentally ill children under 12 in psychiatric beds and about 260 places in wards for mentally disturbed children under 13.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware of the sorrow suffered by parents who have children of this sort? Does he not think that it is a terrible indictment that these parents have to go to such lengths and to the courts before something is done to take their child out of this hospital? As he knows, there is a great shortage. Is it not right that in this affluent society something should be done to change this great shortage of accommodation for children of this type?

On the particular case, the hon. Gentleman has a Question down to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary for whom—

The Minister is responsible for dealing with cases.

I am referring to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question. He has a Question down to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary about the particular case to which he referred. If he looks at the figures I have given, he will see that there can be only a very few instances—though I agree it is always undesirable—when a child of this kind is in an adult ward.

Is there not one important lesson to be learned from this unhappy case, which is that there is in this country a serious shortage of accommodation for psychotic and grossly maladjusted children? Will the Minister do what he can to see that regional hospital boards meet this provision better than they have done hitherto?

I must repeat that the evidence is that it is very rare for a child of this kind to need to be accommodated in an adult ward. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will look at the figures.

asked the Minister of Health, what are his proposals to help the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board to find permanent hospital accommodation for the 100 mentally handicapped children who require hospital treatment.

Accommodation for 126 children is now being built at Balderton and for 80 at Aston-on-Trent.

I do not know whether the Minister has the wrong district. The Question relates to the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board area. Does the Minister realise that the parents of these children, with the best will and greatest amount of love in the world, are unable to cope with them at home, especially when there are other children? To say that the accommodation will be found in the near future is most unsatisfactory. Will he do something now—never mind the future—to find this accommodation for these children?

I told the hon. Member that over 200 places are now being built in the region.

I am certain that throughout the region there will be a greater number of cases than the number of places to be found, and I therefore impress on the Minister again that he must do something in this matter, otherwise there will be quite a big noise created by the people concerned.

asked the Minister of Health what immediate proposals he has, following his acceptance of the Platt Report and his discussions with the medical profession, to solve the problem of the time-expired senior registrars.

The Joint Advisory Committees on Senior Registrars, which Boards are to set up, will be asked as a first charge to review existing time-expired registrars in the light of the recommendations of the Report.