§ Mr. Howeasked the Minister of Health what is the estimated annual cost to the Exchequer during each of the next three years of his recent instruction to hospital authorities that all new boiler installations and heating conversion schemes in hospitals must be for solid fuel, upon the assumption that the extra cost involved in using solid fuel for all such schemes falls just short of the 5 per cent. which entitles hospital authorities to disregard his instruction.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonIn the instruction which I have recently issued, I have asked Hospital Boards, subject to health and amenity factors, to give a preference to the use of coal when the cost does not exceed the cost of using oil by more than 5 per cent. It is not yet possible to say what will be the effect in the next three years since schemes which will be affected by the instruction have not all reached the costing stage.
§ Mr. Howeasked the Minister of Health, in respect of each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many hospitals have installed oil-burning boiler installations; how many have converted solid fuel to oil-burning heating installations; in the case 165W of how many such new installations or conversions the extra cost of using or continuing to use solid fuel appliances would have exceeded 5 per cent.; and what would have been the extra cost to the Exchequer if no such conversions had taken place and if all such new installations had been for the use of solid fuel.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonEight hospitals have installed new oil-fired installations in the last three years; 71 hospitals converted solid fuel to oil-burning installations in 1962–63; 60 in 1963–64; and 63 in 1964–65. I regret that the information sought in the third and fourth parts of the Question is not available.