asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many National Health Service hospitals have been opened in England; and what has been the bed gain as a result of these openings, for each year since 1979.

Information held centrally relates to specific building schemes rather than to whole hospitals. The beds provided in schemes costing over £1 million completed in each year since 1979 are as follows:

Year	Schemes	Beds
1979	3	1,521
1980	8	2,198
1981	10	2,146
1982	16	2,553
1983	47	4,334
1984	45	2,712
1985	49	1,696
1986	39	3,310

The numbers of beds replaced by these new facilities is not readily available, but insomuch as they provide a better care environment for patients and more productive and effective working conditions for staff there is a net gain to the National Health Service.