§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will consider giving funding to local authorities who run exercise therapy sessions so that general practitioners can prescribe this treatment to their national health service patients suffering from diabetes, overweight, high-blood pressure and depression; and if she will make a statement;
(2) if she will give funding to Wealden district council to enable it to expand its exercise therapy prescribed by Dr. David Hanraty for patients; and if she will make a statement.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe Oasis project in Hailsham received funding of £3,400 in 1982 as a pilot project from the joint Department of Health/Health Education Authority "Look After Your Heart" programme. The project was included as an example of a healthy alliance in the "Health of the Nation Coronary Heart Disease Key Area Handbook". The project should become self-financing over time. Similar projects have been or are being set up in other parts of the country, funded locally. There is no intention to fund local authorities generally for this kind of project—as with all healthy alliances all participants should benefit, including local authorities, who should themselves benefit from use of local leisure facilities by more members of the community which they serve.