§ 23. Mr. Deanasked the Minister of Health how much of the money allocated to hospital building for the present financial year will be spent on new hospitals and major reconstruction schemes, and how much on smaller improvement schemes.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonI would refer the hon. Member to Appendix IV to the published Estimate for the Hospital Services.
§ Mr. DeanIs the Minister satisfied that a sufficiently high proportion of the resources available for hospital building is going into comparatively moderate expenditure on schemes which can speedily be done and which can make an enormous difference to the working of existing hospitals?
§ Mr. RobinsonYes I think this is important, and I have no reason whatever to believe that the amounts spent on large and small works, respectively, are in any way out of balance. Certainly I have called the attention of hospital boards to this matter.
§ Mr. PavittWould my right hon. Friend bear in mind, in his revision, that if new hospitals are to be built there may have to be a quite ruthless look at some small, uneconomic units of hospital services, and will he issue directions to local hospital boards accordingly?
§ Mr. RobinsonWe do not normally issue directions to hospital boards, but I will certainly bear my hon. Friend's point in mind.