Mr. Phil Thompson:

With regard to bed numbers, as Mr. McCann said, there are 30 for men and up to ten for women. However, that does not include the aftercare step-down service, which consists of another 12 beds. There is always a waiting list for residential treatment and we find that it is very important to try to motivate people who are on a waiting list. If one is on a waiting list one needs to look at other options. While we would like to strike while the iron is hot and take a person in within a couple of weeks of them asking to come, that is not always possible. Currently the waiting list can climb anywhere from 35 people - which is the lowest I have seen it in the last few years - to more than 100 people.