§ 35. Mr. Oliverasked the Minister of Health the reasons for his refusal to waive his objections to the purchase by the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board of the Shipley Common site for hospital development at Ilkeston.
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithMy right hon. Friend considers that this site is unsuitable owing to danger of subsidence due to coal mining.
§ Mr. OliverBy implication, does not that answer mean that no hospital will be built either in Ilkeston or in any of the surrounding towns until all the coal has been extracted, which will be many years from now, and is not that a most alarming statement to make? Further, may I ask whether the hon. Lady or her right hon. Friend would be good enough to discuss this matter with the many industries interested, because it is a highly industrialised area to which this answer will give complete consternation?
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithI appreciate the difficulties of the hon. Gentleman in this matter, but we have received technical advice that the seams of coal under this site may be worked between 1960 and 1980. Obviously, therefore, it is not practicable to go ahead with a large building like a hospital, which would immediately suffer from any subsidence at the site. In fact, we have been advised that in order to prevent mining under the site it would be necessary to buy a supporting pillar of coal at a cost of £250,000, which obviously is not a practical proposition.