Oral Answers to Questions — Hospitals – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 4 Mai 1964.
Lord Balniel
, Hertford
12:00,
4 Mai 1964
asked the Minister of Health what is the average cost per head for catering in mental hospitals; and what is the comparable figure for other hospitals.
Mr Anthony Barber
, Doncaster
As the Answer contains a table of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
Lord Balniel
, Hertford
A recent publication on the cost of medical care showed that the amount spent on food for each patient in mental hospitals was about one-quarter of the amount spent on food for patients in other hospitals. How can this difference be justified?
Mr Anthony Barber
, Doncaster
I would ask my hon. Friend to await the figures. While it is true that the cost of food in a psychiatric hospital is less than in an acute hospital, this is partly due to the fact that it is easier to avoid waste where the number of patients is more static and the needs less various.
The average cost of catering per person fed per week varies according to the type of hospital. Examples for the year ended 31st March, 1963, are as follows:—
| Type of Hospital (non-teaching) | Average cost per person fed per week | ||||||||
| Provisions | Salaries and Wages | Total | |||||||
| £ | s. | d. | £ | s. | d. | £ | s. | d. | |
| Psychiatric (Mental Illness) | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | |
| Psychiatric (Mental Sub-normality) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 11 | |
| Acute | 1 | 11 | 4 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 10 | 1 | |
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
