Oral Answers to Questions — Social Services – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 6 November 1973.
Mr Terry Davis
, Bromsgrove
12:00,
6 November 1973
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what reply he has sent to the letter which he has received from the Chairman of the Lea Castle Hospital Parents and Friends Association about the death of John Curran; and whether, in consequence, he will take steps to increase the numbers of staff in hospitals for people who are mentally subnormal.
Sir Keith Joseph
, Leeds North East
I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the reply. Improvement of staffing in hospitals for the mentally handicapped was one of the objectives of the white paper "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" (Cmnd. 4683) and of the additional resources provided. Considerable progress in this direction is being made both nationally and at Lea Castle Hospital itself.
Mr Terry Davis
, Bromsgrove
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that at the inquest this young man's tragic death was attributed partly to the shortage of staff, and that on the night in question there was only one nurse for 41 patients? Is he further aware that the medical director of Lea Castle Hospital said at the inquest, "We are short of staff; we have been short of staff and we still are."? What hope can the parents and friends of patients at Lea Castle and similar hospitals have that there will be an immediate improvement in the staffing situation?
Sir Keith Joseph
, Leeds North East
I am aware of all those factors, but the number of staff in relation to patients has risen sharply since the Government came to office, and at Lea Castle Hospital the ratio has risen much more sharply than the national average.
I am aware that the director of Lea Castle Hospital said that the hospital was short of staff, and still is. He added, "There is no shortage of money. We have vacancies, but we cannot fill them."
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
