§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funds have been provided to the Mersey regional health authority and the health authorities within its region for carrying out studies to enable hospitals to apply for self-governing status;
(2) what has been the expenditure so far by his Department on projects designed to inform the implementation of the Government's proposals for the setting up of National Health Service hospital trusts; and what is his estimate of the likely expenditure on such projects during the next financial year.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleySome work has been commissioned centrally to support the proposals for58W National Health Service trusts. The total cost of these projects was £181,600 in 1989–90. No resources have been allocated specifically to Mersey or other regions for spending on projects designed to inform the process of setting up NHS trusts. We have made no allocation for these purposes in respect of 1990–91.