§ 32. Dame Joan Vickersasked the Minister of Health in view of the fact that in many regions hospital house committees are being disbanded, if he will consider letting the Leagues of Friends undertake the various functions previously undertaken by these committees.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonThis must be left to the discretion of hospital management committees, but I welcome close relations between them and Leagues of Friends. Some of the functions often performed by house committee such as visiting patients would be appropriate to Leagues of Friends.
§ Dame Joan VickersIs it the right hon. Gentleman's policy that these house committees should be closed down? If not, could he advise some of the regions that this is an undesirable practice, because leagues of friends are for collecting money and helping hospitals, whereas the others are for liaison between matrons and staff and the management committees?
§ Mr. RobinsonI would put the function of leagues of friends rather wider than that. It is my policy and has always been that of my predecessors that matters relating to house committees, which are non-statutory sub-committees, are for the hospital management committees to decide for themselves. The advice has always been given from successive Ministers that they should have no executive functions.
§ Dr. David OwenWhat is my right hon. Friend's attitude to the Farquharson-Lang recommendation that house committees should be abolished? Would he not agree that this cuts down the level of consumer participation and identification with the management of the Health Service?
§ Mr. RobinsonI have always taken the view that the arguments are evenly balanced for and against house committees: there are advantages and disadvantages. It is not for me to endorse or reject the recommendations of the Farquharson-Lang Report, which was made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, but I have not, in regard to this recommendation, come down on one side or the other.