§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in order to provide additional finance for the National Health Service, he will seek to charge those patients whose income is sufficient to enable them to pay the economic cost of meals provided for them in hospitals.
§ Dr. OwenA hospital meals charge on the lines suggested would present a number of difficulties and would be very expensive to administer. There are no plans at present to introduce such a charge.