HC Deb 31 October 1955 vol 545 cc651-4
24 and 25. Mr. Peyton

asked the Minister of Health (1) if he will give a list of the circulars issued by his Department requiring periodical returns of information from hospital management committees;

(2) what steps he intends to take to lessen the burden of administration work placed upon hospital management committees as a result of certain circulars issued by his Department.

Mr. Iain Macleod

I will publish the list of circulars in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I have not included under this heading instructions about the submission of estimates.

I can assure my hon. Friend that I shall continue to avoid asking hospital authorities for information involving burdensome administrative work so far as I possibly can. But in a complex service for the detailed finance and administration of which I am responsible to this House, a good deal of this work is unavoidable.

Mr. Peyton

Can my right hon. Friend give an assurance that if I put Question No. 24 on the Order Paper again in six months' time the answer circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT will be shorter than I fear it may be today? Can he give further thought to this matter, particularly with regard to the way in which Whitley decisions are promulgated, the information required upon details of transport of hospital staff and the information which, as far as I can see, is designed to see that the supply of welfare milk to expectant mothers is discontinued while they are in hospital? In short, can my right hon. Friend put some reliance on the prudence and willingness to economise of the hospital boards themselves?

Mr. Macleod

My hon. Friend will be pleasantly surprised when he sees the length of the list. There are only 11 items on it, but I cannot undertake that in six months' time the number of items will be fewer. If any are unnecessary, I will remove them at once. I do everything I possibly can to leave the authority in the hands of the hospital, but with the accounting system that we have for the Health Service at the moment, my hon. Friend must realise that one has to keep in one's own hands a good check on the reins.

The following is the list: The list below sets out current circulars requiring periodical returns of information from hospital management committees.

No. of Memorandum and Subject

RHB(49)84 Financial assistance to intending nurse tutors. RHB(50)69 National Health Service (Superannuation) Regulations, 1950. RHB(52)7 The economical operation of essential engineering services in hospitals. RHB(52)123 Economy in manpower. HM(54)99 Hospital services statistics. HM(54)113 Welfare milk and foods for patients in hospital. HM(54)117 Hospital costing returns. HM(55)13 Tuberculosis—men called up for enlistment in the forces. HM(55)40 Annual financial statements. HM(55)58 Revised procedure for recovery of welfare milk tokens. HM(55)86 Additional allocations to meet cost of salary and wages awards as modified by HM(55)105.
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