§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which national health service hospitals that are earmarked to assist in the Gulf dispute to accept casualties have also been granted trust status from 1 April; and if he will make a statement as to those hospitals' financial basis for the financial year.
§ Mr. DorrellHealth authorities' plans for dealing with casualties from hostilities in the Gulf involve hospitals throughout the national health service. It is for health authorities to allocate cases to particular hospitals and information on which hospitals will be used is not available centrally.
The Government will provide extra money to meet the full costs of any Gulf casualties. We have told health authorities that they should spend what is necessary and we are giving guidance on how to account for and reclaim Gulf costs. This means that health authorities will be able to continue to use all the money in their normal allocations for their normal workload.