§ Mr. Patrick Mayhewasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why the South-East Regional Hospital Board has decided to convert the Science Theatre at David Salamon's House, Speldhurst, Kent, into a lecture hall, and to reject in principle the proposal made on behalf of the National Piano Museum that a purpose-built lecture hall should be built in the grounds to enable the Science Theatre to be occupied by the museum for the purpose of preserving and displaying musical instruments.
§ Dr. OwenThe South East Thames Regional Health Authority tells me that it intends to use David Salamon's House as a regional training and conference centre for health service staff, and as part of this arrangement the Science Theatre will, after a minimum of conversion, be used as a lecture hall.
The authority says that it has received no formal detailed proposal, with proper guarantees on timing and finance, to build a new lecture hall in the grounds. Because of this and the very real difficulties which it foresees in preserving a Piano Museum as part of the conference centre, for which there is an urgent need, it has felt obliged to proceed with its own stated plans.