§ 34. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what support he is giving for the expansion of the work of the Health Education Council.
§ Mr. MoyleThe Government's recent White Paper (Cmnd. 7047) indicated acceptance of a number of the recommendations for promoting health education and the work of the Health Education Council contained in the 1977 Report "Preventive Medicine" of the Expenditure Committee, which embodied the results of the review carried out by my hon. Friend's Sub-Committee. The Council's budget for operational activities in 1977–78 was virtually doubled.
We are continuing this increased level of funding in 1978–79. It has already enabled the Council to undertake additional work, including a nationwide "Better Health Campaign", a regional campaign in the North-East of England to combat alcoholism, and a scholarship scheme to improve the recruitment and training of health education officers. We are currently considering proposals from the Council for substantial improvements in its staffing and accommodation provision.