§ Lord MOYNEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government the amount of capital expenditure expected to be necessary to expand or re-equip Department of Health hospitals at Basingstoke, Winchester, Andover, Salisbury and Swindon over the next five years; and how much of this could be saved by taking over for civilian use an increased proportion of the military hospitals at Wroughton and Tidworth if these were kept open on a basis of shared overhead expenses.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, as I informed your Lordships on 4th February last, the Ministry of Defence has decided to close Tidworth. Nevertheless, taking the Question as it stands, I have to inform the noble Lord and your Lordships that the content of the Wessex Regional Health Authority's capital programme for the next five years has not yet been determined, and therefore an estimate of the capital expenditure of the hospitals referred to in the noble Lord's Question cannot be given.
§ Lord MOYNEMy Lords, in thanking the noble Lord for his reply, may I first ask him to contradict his noble friend in saying—I think he has misunderstood some information—that only 10 beds were occupied by civilian in Tidworth Hospital last year? Are not 10 beds permanently reserved for civilians, and sometimes more are occupied? This is an unexpected question that I had to ask arising from his noble friend's Answer. I would further ask whether a jointly-run civilian 148 and military hospital at Tidworth would provide a basis for that closer relationship.
§ Lord MOYNEWould it not provide a basis for that closer relationship between the military and National Health services which such a substantial majority of military doctors and nurses told the Jarrett Committee they so much desired?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, in reply to the first part of the noble Lord's supplementary question, I think my noble friend may have meant that in the last year there were 10 beds per day out of 200 beds per day occupied by civilians in Tidworth, and there were approximately 30 beds per day out of a total of 225 beds occupied by civilians at Wroughton. With regard to the noble Lord's second question, in view of the fact that Wroughton, which is a modern and purpose-built hospital, is to be maintained and will still take civilians, I would suggest that the medical and nursing personnel will acquire the experience of dealing with civilians there which they acquired in the past at Tidworth.
§ Lord PLATTMy Lords, knowing nothing, as I do, about the local question of these hospitals, but speaking nevertheless as a former member of the Advisory Committee to the Royal Air Force, may I ask the noble Lord whether Her Majesty's Government are completely aware of the very great advantage it is to these military hospitals to take civilians in peacetime, not only because of the experience for their medical members but from the point of view of recruitment? These men get far better experience if they are in partly-civilian hospitals.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLYes, my Lords; the Government recognise that point, and this opportunity will continue at Wroughton, which is being maintained by the Ministry of Defence.