HC Deb 19 June 1991 vol 193 cc225-6W
25. Mr. Ingram

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve the provision of general hospital services within the Lanarkshire health board area.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

On Friday, 7 June my right hon. Friend endorsed Lanarkshire health board's proposal in its acute services strategy to build a new 615-bed district general hospital in Wishaw at a cost of over £70 million to serve the Motherwell and Clydesdale area. The other component of the board's acute services strategy is to provide a new district general hospital to serve the Hamilton and East Kilbride districts by either redeveloping the existing Hairmyres hospital site or by building a new district general hospital at Blantyre.

I visited Lanarkshire on Monday 17 June to see for myself the sites involved and to hear at first hand the various arguments in favour of each of the options. I shall make a further announcement as soon as possible.