§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will list the various endowments relating to the Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital which were transferred under Section 7 of the National Health Service Act 1946: and, for each endowment, if she will make a statement on the present financial position or give the date on which the endowment ceased to have effect.
§ Dr. OwenI regret that details of the endowments relating to the Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital which were transferred to the Minister of Health in July 1948 are not readily traceable. Except for some endowments made after the 1946 Act was passed the endowments of all voluntary non-teaching hospitals, which included the Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital, were transferred in 1948 free of existing trusts. The funds were pooled to form the Hospital Endowments Fund and thus lost their separate identity.
Until March 1974 the income deriving from that part of the fund which was not applied to discharging voluntary hospital liabilities, also transferred to the Minister, was distributed twice yearly to all hospital management committees and regional hospital boards in proportion to hospital bed numbers. The Hospital Endowments Fund was wound up under Section 23 of the National Health Reorganisation Act 1973 and in December 1974 the assets distributed on a similar proportionate basis among regional and area health authorities and Special Trustees. Birmingham Area Health Authority (Teaching) received £228,000.