§ 6. Miss Quennellasked the Minister of Health if, in view of the delays in the development of the Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals, it is still his policy to curtail the services offered by the Alton General Hospital.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health (Mr. Bernard Braine)Yes, but only as concentration and development of services elsewhere take place.
§ Miss QuennellHas my right hon. Friend therefore no plans to close the hospital in the near future?
§ Mr. BraineA new hospital is to be provided at Basingstoke and a substantially rebuilt one at Winchester. Planning is proceeding satisfactorily. The new hospital at Basingstoke will take care of the expanding population in the area, but until it is available the Alton hospitals will provide some services for this area.