§ 8. Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has plans to meet the chairmen of the regional health boards in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. NeedhamI plan to meet the chairmen of health and social services boards early in the new year to discuss the regional strategic plan for the development of services over the next five years.
§ Mr. DubsWhen the Minister meets the chairman of the boards, will he stop pressing or obliging them to privatise hospital ancillary services? Does he accept that the real problems arise because there is a need for more resources for the Health Service in Northern Ireland? Will he halt attempts by the Government to increase the profits of private suppliers at the expense of patients?
§ Mr. NeedhamThere are considerably more resources in the Health Service in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the United Kingdom, and I am delighted that that is so. There has been no sudden change in our policy to increase pressure to privatise. We are continuing with the policy that we introduced two years ago. The requirements are the same as for the rest of the United Kingdom. We are testing the effectiveness of services on the public side of the Health Service against the private sector. Due to the smallness of the private sector in Northern Ireland, there are not that many facilities—unfortunately, in my view—that are likely to be privatised. Nevertheless, as a result of our policies, substantial savings have been made and these have led to an increase in the amount of money available to assist in the care of patients.
§ Mr. ArcherIs the hon. Gentleman saying that he has not noticed all the furore over the past few weeks about privatisation? Is it not the case that any savings from privatisation will come from cutting jobs, squeezing wage rates, reducing the number of hours for which people are paid and sacrificing services? Does he maintain that that is the way to maintain the standards of service to patients?
§ Mr. NeedhamI do not know where the right hon. and learned Gentleman has been in the last few weeks, but I suspect that he has not been very near Northern Ireland, because there has been no furore there about these matters. I have explained to the right hon. and learned Gentleman that we are continuing with the policy that we adopted two years ago, and as a result of that policy we have made substantial and sensible savings that have benefited the patients and clients of the Health Service in Northern Ireland. We shall continue with that policy.