§ 26. Mr. Emeryasked the Minister of Health what schemes he has approved for the expansion and development of hospitals under the control of the Reading and District Hospital Management Committee; and how many new hospital beds will be made available by such schemes.
§ Miss PittMy right hon. and learned Friend has authorised a scheme which will provide 16 additional maternity beds at Wokingham Hospital, and he is now considering a major scheme of development at the Royal Berkshire Hospital to provide a new ophthalmic unit of 30 beds and a general ward of thirty or more beds with ancillary departments. The regional hospital board hopes to start in the next two years a number of other smaller schemes at the hospitals managed by this hospital management committee.
§ Mr. EmeryI thank my hon. Friend for her reply, but does she realise that over 700 new beds are needed and envisaged in order to deal with the increase of 25 per cent. of the population that these hospitals serve, and would she be willing, in relation to the reply which the Minister made to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Peyton) on the matter of the over- and under-spending of capital allocations, to allow some of the under-spending of the other area boards to be used in Reading to deal with this matter?
§ Miss PittThe question of under-spending in one particular area is a matter for that area to step up its rate of progress. I do not think it is possible to switch under-spending from one region to another, but my hon. Friend may be glad to know that, in addition to the major scheme promised for the Royal Berkshire, there is a number of other schemes for the development of hospitals in this hospital management committee's area.