HC Deb 23 May 1979 vol 967 cc1023-4
2. Mr. Lambie

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is prepared to hold a public inquiry into the delay in completing the new North Ayrshire district general hospital; and if he will make a statement.

The Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Russell Fairgrieve)

The Ayrshire and Arran health board—rightly in my view—is giving absolute priority to having certain technical defects identified and rectified with a view to bringing this important new district general hospital into service as soon as possible. A public inquiry at this stage would not be helpful and might only give rise to further delay.

Mr. Lambie

I am disappointed, and my constituents in Central Ayrshire will be disappointed, by that reply. Is the Minister aware that, five years ago, the health board drew the attention of the Common Services Agency to the high lead content of the water supply, and the agency at that time took away sample pipe joints for analysis but so far the health board has had no reply from the CSA? Is the hon. Gentleman further aware that the original design team appointed by the CSA has to all intents and purposes been sacked from any further work and a new design team has been appointed? Is it not about time that officials of the CSA responsible for hospital building in Scotland should be sacked, so that then we could wake things up?

Mr. Fairgrieve

The hon. Gentleman has asked two or three slightly different questions. The building division of the CSA—which, by the way, is part of the NHS, not of my Department—has been involved in this scheme only since NHS reorganisation in 1974. In any event, it has in this case a liaison advisory role, not an executive function. Officers of the building division have been working hard with those of the health board in an attempt to have the problem resolved, and my Department knows all about the problems of the split in the design team.

Mr. David Steel

Without anticipating a later question of mine about the Borders general hospital, which my constituent, the Under-Secretary of State, knows all about, may I ask whether the Government's announcement about the review of the Health Service organisation in England and Wales will apply also to Scotland in view of the considerable delays being experienced in the construction of these new hospitals?

Mr. Fairgrieve

Although it is a different problem, I point out to the right hon. Gentleman that the review of the National Health Service is, of course, a United Kingdom matter, and I am fully conversant with the problems of the new hospital in our—or his—constituency.

Mr. Corrie

Does my hon. Friend agree that, if hospitals were built to a standardised plan throughout the country, a great deal of time and money could be saved, in contrast to what happens with the one-off architectural monstrosities going up now, which are extremely difficult to build and to work efficiently in?

Mr. Fairgrieve

I think that one of the reasons for the delay in the Borders hospital is an initial attempt to go to a standardised plan. I do not think that that is possible.