§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the estimated cost of establishing two area health authorities to cover the area currently administered, by the Liverpool area health authority; what services and accommodation they will share; and whether any medical services will be duplicated;
(2) what is the size of the staff of the Liverpool area health authority; and what will be the size of the staff of the proposed two new authorities.
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§ Dr. Vaughan[pursuant to his reply, 13 July 1981]: These are all matters for the new district health authorities to determine, in conjunction with Mersey regional health authority, in the light of cash and management costs limits. Our decisions over the country imply a reduction in the total number of management teams by about 50—a significant saving. But we have taken a flexible approach designed to bring efficient management to local services to make them effective and responsive to the needs of the community. Our decision to establish two authorities in Liverpool will bring improvements in management, and we are confident that costs can be contained within the limits I shall be announcing.