§ 18. Mr. Ian TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was provided by the Government in 1988–89 in grant to Help the Hospices.
§ Mr. MellorThe Department made a grant of £400,000 on 9 March 1989 to Help the Hospices for distribution to local projects in short-term financial difficulty.
§ 92. Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cost and nature of the support given by his Department to the hospice movement.
§ Mr. MellorDuring 1988–89 the Government made an additional £1.3 million available to health authorities to distribute as a contribution to the costs incurred by voluntary hospices due to the nurses' pay award. It also made a grant of £400,000 to Help the Hospices for distribution to local projects in short-term financial difficulty. In addition, the Government provided separate funding for the AIDS hospices at the Mildmay hospital and London Lighthouse, £256,000 and £208,000 respectively. The bulk of NHS support for hospices comes from local health authorities, which are best placed to judge how the contribution of voluntary bodies can be integrated with the other services for which they are responsible.