asked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent the hospitals in Cumbria are affected by staff shortages.

Four hospitals in the East Cumbria district have had beds withdrawn from use in certain specialties as follows owing to shortages of nursing staff:

Cumberland Infirmary:
General Surgery	…	…	20
Orthopaedic	…	…	8
City General:
Gynaecology	…	…	4
Kendal Green:
Geriatric	…	…	4
Garlands:
Mental Illness	…	…	60

Corrective measures being taken include a programme for the redeployment of revenue from supporting services to patient care; additional revenue allocations for nursing services; and the setting up of a working group to consider bed rationalisation and redeployment of nursing staff.