§ 9. Mr. Iremongerasked the Minister of Health if he will seek from the Chairman of the North-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board an explanation of the reason why the chairman-elect of the Finance Committee of the Ilford and Barking Group Hospital Management Committee has not been re-appointed to the Committee, and that this action was taken without consulting the chairman of the Committee.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithNo, Sir. The appointment of members of hospital management committees is by statute a matter for the regional hospital board and I have no power to intervene.
§ Mr. IremongerI understand my right hon. and learned Friend's position, but is he aware that this decision has caused bitter resentment locally and that it is regarded universally as being underhanded business on the part of the board in getting its own back on a member of the committee who has, in the course of 16 his duty, criticised the board? If those who are on the boards behave like this, they will not be able to call on the services of men of the calibre we want.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThese are not matters for me, but this is a conscientious board and I am sure that it would not use any unworthy methods in the appointments that it makes, in which it is animated only by a desire to serve the good of the hospital services, as I seek to be when I make my appointments of board members themselves. I hope that my hon. Friend and the House in general will appreciate that failure to re-appoint a sitting member, either to a hospital board or to a management committee, must not be taken as being any reflection on his competence. On the contrary, we do have to have a change every now and again, and there are, happily, more people anxious to serve than there are vacancies available. We are genuinely grateful to those who have rendered service and who are not eventually re-appointed.