§ 49. Mr. D. Brookasked the Minister of Health whether he will make provision in his 1955–56 building programme for the new hospital unit at Warley, Halifax, about which the hon. Member for Halifax has had correspondence with him.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThis would probably not be a centrally financed scheme and it depends therefore on selection by the board.
§ Mr. BrookIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the man who left this estate to the Halifax Infirmary also left £50,000 for hospital purposes? Could not the Minister consider the release of that sum, to which the people of Halifax think that they have a moral if not a legal right? Does the right hon. Gentleman think it equitable that towns which before the passing of the National Health Act made more adequate provision out of their own resources for hospital purposes should now be penalised in favour of those which were more parsimonious in their expenditure?
§ Mr. MacleodOn the first part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary, which deals with a question which arises all over the country, it would clearly be impossible to do what he suggests, because these sums are vested free of trust in the Minister and are used for general hospital purposes. With regard to the second part of his supplementary, in deciding the amount of building that one is going to do, one clearly has to take particularly into account the needs of those towns and cities which were neglected before the war.