§ 4. Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to meet the convenor of Tayside regional council to discuss the region's plans for day care facilities.
§ Mr. StewartMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no present plans to meet the convenor of Tayside regional council to discuss day care facilities.
§ Mr. WalkerDoes my hon. Friend agree that discussions within Tayside health board on Meigle cottage hospital have been preliminary and informal? A transfer of that hospital's day care facilities, bearing in mind that it was given under special covenant and the special circumstances surrounding the endowment, would require a massive transfer of funds from the health board to Tayside region before any thought could be given to turning it into what it is alleged the discussions were supposed to have been about.
§ Mr. StewartFrom my hon. Friend's previous questions and his Adjournment debate on this matter, the House will know of his concern, as the constituency Member involved. It would be the board's intention to seek to recommemorate the Meigle site if and when it transfers to new community care use. I understand that he is correct to say that the discussions so far have been informal and preliminary.
§ Mr. McAllionWhy did the Minister, only this year, give Tayside regional council lead responsibility for care in the community, when he planned all along to abolish it in less than two years, thereby guaranteeing that the carefully devised Tayside-wide care in the community plan would have to be ripped up, and that the three single-tier councils would have to start all over again? Is it not true that the 321 needs of the most vulnerable people in Tayside are playing second fiddle to the gerrymandering requirements of carving out a few Tory seats in Angus and in Perth and Kinross?
§ Mr. StewartThe hon. Gentleman revisits debates that occupied the Committee that considered the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Bill and the House for some considerable time. There is widespread popular support for single-tier unitary authorities in the city of Dundee, in Angus, represented by the Scottish National party, and in Perth. Tayside's grant-aided expenditure allocation for community care in 1994–95 is £14.2 million higher than in 1990–91. That is proof of the Government's commitment to improved community care on Tayside.
§ Mrs. FyfeDoes the Minister accept that the compulsory competitive tendering that he loves so much means that successful tenders for day care and other personal services will come from firms that pay the lowest wages and have the fewest employees? Has he not learnt anything from recent events at Glasgow royal infirmary trust, where porters and cleaners, backed to the hilt by the Glasgow public, defeated the plan to cut their wages when the top brass awarded themselves fancy salaries? Does he think that the people of Tayside will tolerate what the Glasgow public did not?
§ Mr. StewartIn relation to the hon. Lady's health service question, market testing has saved some £94 million pounds, which has all gone into patient care. I thought that Opposition Members were supposed to be concerned about patient care and its improvement, but it seems that that is not so.
In relation to her specific point about Tayside, we have received complaints from Tayside about inadequate consultation with the private and voluntary sectors on community care. I propose to issue a direction on purchasing, which I hope will ensure adequate consultation and the full involvement of public, private and voluntary sectors. [Interruption.] I know that the hon. Gentleman does not want that kind of partnership, but I believe that it is a sensible way forward for the future.