§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has assessed the quality and adequacy of the installed communication links between local ambulance stations of the London ambulance service and local police, fire brigade and other emergency services.
§ Mr. FreemanQuestions relating to the detailed management of the London ambulance service are matters for the South West Thames regional health authority.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member of Newham, South,Official Report, 7 February, columns 635–7, what are the annual rental costs of the private wire circuits between the central control room of the London ambulance service and ambulance stations; and what is budgeted for the next financial year, for this purpose.
796W
§ Mr. FreemanI understand from South West Thames RHA, which is responsible for the management of the London ambulance service (LAS) that the annual rental cost of the private wire circuits between the LAS central control room and ambulance stations is £60,615 for the current financial year. When the circuits are integrated into the new computer system, the wires will be connected to equipment owned by the LAS rather than by British Telecom. This will reduce rental costs to an estimated £53,115 in 1989–90. The same number of lines will be available, but they will be of higher quality.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out in tabular form in theOfficial Report the principal items of income and expenditure of the London ambulance service for each of the financial years since he has been responsible for its direct funding, showing for each year the expenditure related to (a) administration, (b) communication, (c) equipment, (d) personnel, (e) premises, and (f) vehicles, etc., with an indication of the sums allocated or ascribable to emergency and non-emergency services, respectively, together with a statement of the method he uses to ensure that the resources available to the emergency services enable them to reach as near the national ORCON standards as are practicable in London traffic conditions.
§ Mr. FreemanThe table sets out, in the form held by the South West Thames RHA, London ambulance service (LAS) expenditure for the year 1987–88, the first year in which the allocation of funds was made direct to the managing authority. An estimate of expenditure for the current financial year is not yet available. It is not possible to separate out the personnel component of each of the items listed except at disproportionate cost. The revenue budgets available to the LAS for the years 1987–88 and 1988–89 were £43.099 million and £46.060 million respectively.
Management of the LAS, including questions of resource requirements and attainment of standards, is a matter for South West Thames RHA. Officials of the 797W Department are in regular touch with officials of the RHA on these matters and a management review of the LAS is conducted annually.
Department Net expenditure 1987–88 £ A. Operational Services General Manager 0 Headquarters Administration 824,165 Control Services—Emergency 2,428,204 Control Services—Non-Emergency 2,251,230 Ambulance Stations—Emergency 23,967,237 Ambulance Stations—Non-Emergency 7,977,645 Other Ambulance Services—Emergency 38,029 Other Ambulance Services—Non-Emergency 904,143 Total Operational Services 38,390,653 B. General Services Administration Office 1,638,330 Training and Education 1,228,124 Catering 38,908 Domestic Cleaning 203,622 Portering 24,040 Laundry 37,316 Linen Services 0 Transport 123,075 Engineering Maintenance 95,298 Energy 358,607 Water and Sewerage 57,374 Building Maintenance 540,903 Grounds and Gardens 21,006 General Estate Expenses 780,347 Miscellaneous Services and Expenses 0 General Services Direct Credits 0 Total General Services 5,140,850 Grand Total 43,531,508