§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give his reasons for the decision not to reappoint the chairmen of the West Midlands, Trent, Wessex and North-Western regional health authorities.
§ Mr. Fowler[pursuant to his reply, 29 June 1982, c. 296]: The appointments of the chaimen of the 14 regional health authorities announced on 23 June were made because all the current appointments come to an end on 31 July this year. The new appointments, which include the reappointment of eight of the existing chairmen for varying periods, reflect my concern to bring to these posts persons with a broad range of proven management experience, both public and private. I look to the chairmen to provide effective leadership of the health authorities so as to make the best use of the substantial resources available to them in the interests of the patients and the staff who care for them. We have been fortunate to find six new chairmen of outstanding quality. At the same time I am glad to take this opportunity of thanking those chairmen who are not being reappointed for their distinguished contribution to the National Health Service over many years.