asked the Minister for Health if he will state (1) the total normal bed complement for all local authority mental hospitals and institutions, and (2) the total average number of patients in local authority mental hospitals in (a) 1936, (b) 1946 and (c) 1956.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mental Hospitals and Institutions.
The number of beds in local authority mental hospitals and institutions varies from time to time and there is no figure which is accepted as the "normal" bed complement. The average number of patients in local authority mental hospitals was 18,600 in 1936, 17,764 in 1946 and an estimated 19,879 in 1956.