§ 41. Mr. Gowerasked the Minister of Health what increase he will sanction in the next financial year and at what cost, 854 in hospital building and repair, in particular parts of Wales where unemployment is above the average level for the United Kingdom as a whole; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of Health (Mr. Derek Walker-Smith)It is proposed that £1,947,000 should be spent on capital development of hospitals in Wales in 1959–60 compared with £1,593,000 in 1958–59. In allocating this money, the Welsh Regional Hospital Board must have first regard to hospital needs but of the amount to be made available for 1959–60, £811,000 is for the development of hospitals in areas where the level of unemployment is above the national average. This compares with a figure of £638,000 in 1958–59.