§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he approved the creation of a Mental Health Trust for Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland; when the Trust is due to commence its responsibilities; who was appointed(a) Chair and (b) Chief Executive of the Trust and when their appointments began. [150895]
§ Mr. DenhamThe decision to create the Newcastle, North Tyneside arid Northumberland Mental Health National Health Service Trust was taken on 27 October 2000 and the trust will become operational on 1 April 2001. The recruitment process for the chair and non-executive directors is now complete and a decision on the chairmanship will be announced soon. The post of chief executive has been advertised nationally but the short-listing and interview process will need to involve the chair of the trust once he or she has been appointed.