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Mrs. Bain
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the reduction in the number of hospital beds available for the severely mentally handicapped in each of the last three years.
Mr. William Ross
Because of the increasing emphasis on care for the mentally handicapped in the community rather than in hospital, the total number of beds has decreased and a higher proportion of that total is occupied by patients with the more severe handicaps, though a figure cannot be put on this because the patients are not identified by category.