§ Mr. Antony Buck (Colchester)I have, with your leave, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and that of the House, to present a petition concerning the proposed closure of the military hospital in Colchester. In accordance with the rules of order, I am not allowed on this occasion to go into the merits of the petition. The subject has been debated earlier in the House. I have raised it before and I look forward to occasions when I shall have the opportunity of raising it again.
The petition is signed by no fewer than 50,000 of my constituents and others who live in North-East Essex, as well as by those who are concerned with the provision of medical facilities, both to the troops and to civilians in the area. More particularly, the hospital serves troops who are serving in Northern Ireland.
1856 The petition is as follows:
The humble petition of those concerned with the proper provision of medical facilities for military personnel and their families and for the civilian population of North-East Essex.Sheweth that the military hospital in Colchester has rendered remarkable service to Her Majesty's forces and their families and to large numbers of civilians living in North East Essex and it is the expressed intention of Her Majesty's Government to close the said hospital which said closure will in the opinion of your petitioners result in a fall in the standard of care provided for servicemen and, of special concern to your petitioners, a fall in the standard of care able to be provided for the families of soldiers serving in Northern Ireland as well as resulting in serious additional burdens being placed in existing civilian and medical resources in the area.Wherefore your petitioners pray that the Honourable the Commons prevail upon the Secretary of State for Defence to keep open the military hospital in Colchester so that military personnel and their families together with the civilian population of the district may continue to have the advantages provided by the hospital with the costs arising being divided as appropriate between Ministry of Defence and Department of Health and Social Security Votes.The petition concludes in the customary way with the wordsAnd your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever Pray.The petition is signed by the Mayor of Colchester and, as I have said, by about 50,000 of those living in the area those concerned with military matters, as well as by several hon. Members whose constituencies are affected by the proposed closure—I see present my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich (Mr. Ridsdale). I am not allowed to deploy my arguments about the demerits of the proposal, but I shall seek an early opportunity to place them before the House.
§ To lie upon the Table.