§ 29. Mr. Blenkinsopasked the Minister of Health to what extent he is satisfied that hospitals have been able to carry out essential repair and maintenance works on their buildings during the current year; and what further provision he hopes to make.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodI am anxious that hospital buildings should be properly maintained, but I am not in a position to make a comprehensive statement about the current maintenance standard. It is not the practice to make special allocations for this purpose.
§ Mr. BlenkinsopIs the Minister aware that for some years now hospitals have been repeatedly cutting down on this vital work, and that while it may be possible to do that as an emergency measure for one or two years, if it is continued it piles up much larger bills for the future? Will he give some instruction or advice to hospital boards, together with some extra cash?
§ Mr. MacleodI am not sure that the position is quite so bad as that. This year, on the recently revised estimates, we are spending about £9 million, which is less than the year before but substantially higher than the average for the previous years. I do not think the money is enough, but I think that we tend to exaggerate the amount of the reduction which there has been.
§ Mr. BlenkinsopIs the Minister aware that one receives continuous complaints from hospitals all over the country on this issue? It is becoming a very pressing matter, which I do not think that one can exaggerate.
§ Mr. MacleodI am aware of that but, as I said in answer to an earlier Question, it is one of the particular matters which I am discussing with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.