Community Health Councils (Hansard, 4 December 1975)

§ Mrs. Castle

Earlier this year I set up a Steering Committee, representative of community health councils throughout the country, with the task of working out, in consultation with councils, proposals for the constitution of a national body for community health councils. The Steering Committee has now informed me that its consultations with councils have shown that the majority is in favour of setting up a national body. The Committee recommends that a meeting of all councils should be called in the autumn of 1976 and the Committee should continue its work with a view to putting to that meeting proposals for a national body. I accept these recommendations.

I would like to take this opportunity of welcoming community health councils'

BRITISH AIRWAYS BOARD
Financial year to	Persons employed^*	Output available tonne kilometres	Profit (loss)†	Profit (loss) at mid-1975 prices‡
		(thousands)	(millions)	£m.	£m.
31st march 1966	…	38.2	2,629	9.3	21.5
31st march 1967	…	39.6	2,825	24.6	54.8
31st march 1968	…	41.7	3,092	20.7	44.7
31st march 1969	…	43.1	3,236	25.2	51.7
31st march 1970	…	46.2	3,795	25.8	50.2
31st march 1971	…	51.5	4,109	4.0	7.3
31st march 1972	…	54.7	4,856	(0.3)	(0.5)
31st march 1973	…	55.3	5,779	5.2	8.0
31st march 1974	…	55.3	6,076	16.6	23.0
31st march 1975	…	55.8	5,831	(9.4)	(10.9)

NOTES:

BOAC and BEA groups have been combined to 31st March 1972.

^* These figures do not include the staff of British Airways' subsidiary International Aeradio Ltd which totalled 3,543 at 31st March 1975.

† Profit (Loss) after interest on capital borrowings, taxation, minority interest and extraordinary terms.

‡Adjusted to take account of changes in the purchasing power of £.

736W

recognition of the need for the utmost economy at the present time and of their wish to keep the costs of a national body as low as possible. The King Edward's Hospital Fund has given valuable support to the Steering Committee and in addition has provided community health councils with a regular newsletter and an information service which I know has been much appreciated.