Page 2975 - Week 10 - Thursday, 16 August 1990
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Whilst the new handbook will be a much more readable document and much more useful to those intending to obtain drivers licences, unfortunately, we ran out of stocks of the old handbooks. Because this Government is very aware of adopting cost-saving measures, the decision was taken to photocopy the remaining supplies and hand out the photocopies. The book gives details of when to give way and when not to give way, and it provides examples showing that the red car should give way to the yellow car or green car or whatever. All I can say is that, having been made aware of the situation, I have arranged for the issue of crayons at the Motor Vehicle Registry and, as people receive their photocopies of the ACT Road User's Handbook, it shall now be in the appropriate colours, as it should be. The new books will be available, I believe, in September.
Hospital Beds
MRS GRASSBY: I would like to ask a question of the Minister for Health, Education and the Arts. This time it is about hospitals. Maybe he can give us an answer on this one, even if he cannot on schools. Will he confirm that the number of approved public beds stands at 933? If not, will he provide this Assembly with the number of approved public beds? How many beds are currently staffed and available for use in public hospitals?
MR HUMPHRIES: It may be that my brief on this occasion does provide some assistance to those opposite. There are currently 888 acute beds available in Canberra's three main hospitals - that is as of today - and this includes 24 neonatal cots at Royal Canberra Hospital. So, if you exclude those, there are 853, approximately.
Between 30 and 60 beds were closed at Royal Canberra at various times between February and June this year, for fire preventive work. Mr Berry would know all about that, since it was he, as Minister for Health, who initiated that work some time before he left office.
Mr Duby: Did he start it?
MR HUMPHRIES: He started that work, yes; this was Mr Berry's doing. Since that time there has certainly been a problem recruiting sufficient nursing staff to restore Royal Canberra to its normal availability of 399 beds. It is true that the 23-bed ward 6CD at Royal Canberra remains part of the closure that has occurred as a result of that shortage, and the closure of the ward has enabled the best distribution of staff throughout the other wards in the hospital.
Mr Berry: What are the approved numbers? Is 933 the approved number?
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