§ 47. Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of Health when he intends to sanction the scheme for the extension of Northgate Hospital which has been under consideration for some time.
§ The Minister of Health (Mr. Derek Walker-Smith)I would draw the attention of my hon. Friend to the reference to this hospital in the reply which I gave on 16th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford (Lord Balniel).
§ Dame Irene WardCan my right hon. and learned Friend tell the House whether this new extension is outside the announced capital expenditure programme, and whether we on the North-East Coast are to get any benefit out of the new capital expenditure programme that has been announced? We are extremely short of a great many places over a very wide field.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI was referring then to the capital expenditure for the year 1961–62. I gave a list of the various projects on which I was asking for planning to proceed. This hospital extension falls within that list of projects, and is for £500,000 in the first instance.