§ 43. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement on the reasons for the proposed transfer of the South-Western Hospital to St. Thomas's Hospital.
§ Mr. BevanI have not yet received the final views of the regional hospital board about this proposal and I cannot for the present make any statement.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Lambeth group hospital management committee is strongly opposed to the whole project and that the delay in arriving at a decision, which has now extended over a period of at least six months, is denying very much-needed hospital beds to acute cases and chronic sick in the neighbourhood?
§ Mr. BevanIt is not correct to say there has been a delay of six months. It was only on 5th July last year that the regional hospital board was statutorily set up to re-organise the hospitals in the area and it is quite unreasonable to imagine that this complicated re-organisation could be done almost overnight.