§ Sir Timothy Kitsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was discussed when the chairman of the Yorkshire regional health authority met the Minister for Health on 29 June; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThis meeting was one in the series of annual accountability reviews instituted by my right hon. Friend with the chairman and chief officers of each health region in England. We discussed health needs and provision in the Yorkshire region and agreed that the regional health authority will over the next 12 months as part of its planning and monitoring activities develop further with health district plans for psychiatric services for mentally handicapped people, services for elderly people and acute sector services, will review its financial plans, and its role on strategic planning, and will improve arrangements for manpower planning and control within the region. I wrote to the chairman on 19 July recording what has been agreed and thanking him and his officers for the positive and constructive way in which they had approached the review. I have placed a copy of that letter in the Library of the House together with letters following earlier review meetings—with the Trent, Mersey, South Western and Oxford regions—and I am arranging for future similar letters following all review meetings with regions to be placed in the Library when available.