§ Mr. Priorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the capital and current expenditure per 1,000 population of the hospital service in the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board area; and how this compares with the average for the country as a whole, with the other mainly rural areas, and with the Oxford Regional Hospital Board.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyThe information is as follows:
Expenditure 1968–69, per 1,000 population Regional Hospital Board Capital Current £ £ East Anglia 1,586 10,873 South Western 1,673 14,430 Wessex 1,843 13,519 Oxford 1,950 12,122 All Regional Boards—England 1,679 13,293 These figures have been calculated by dividing the total expenditure of the regional hospital board by the estimated population of its area. They make no allowance for the fact that one regional hospital board may provide services for patients who reside in the area of another, nor do they include expenditure by boards of governors of teaching hospitals.
Wessex and the South Western Regional Hospital Boards are included as examples of the more rural regions.
§ Dr. Grayasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has now asked the East Anglian Regional Hospital Board to reshape its present plan for the siting of new hospitals, including a district genera] hospital for the Lowestoft-Yarmouth area, on the basis of the recommendations in the Bonham-Carter report.
§ Mr. CrossmanNo such request has been made by me. No decisions will be taken on the Bonham-Carter report until I have considered the views of all the bodies I have consulted. As explained in the Prefatory Note to the report, there are a number of questions to be considered before conclusions can be reached on its findings and recommendations.