§ Mr. LathamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to regional health authorities regarding the need for district health authorities to provide community health councils with full information to enable them to fulfil their statutory duties of keeping under review the operation of the National Health Service; how he monitors the performance of district health authorities in that regard; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 19 December 1988]: We have placed a legal requirement on district health authorities (currently regulation 20 of the Community Health Council Regulations 1985; S.I. 1985, No. 304) to provide CHCs with such information about the planning and operation of health services in their district as they may reasonably require in order to carry out their duties. The regulation also provides for a right of appeal to the relevant regional health authority in case of difficulty. Although we have not instituted any specific monitoring arrangements for this regulation we have not received representations suggesting there is any general problem with its operation.