§ Mr. Buckasked the Secretary of State for Defence if, in the light of current difficulties in the National Health Service, he will reconsider his decision to close the military hospital in Colchester; and failing this, if he will make a statement on the future of the hospital, specifying the earliest date on which closure could take place, the state of negotiations with the Department of Health and Social Security concerning their possible assumption of control of the hospital and the arrangements made to cater for the future medical care of the service personnel in the Colchester area and their dependants and the arrangements made to provide for the care and attention of the civilian personnel who at the moment are permitted to utilise the facilities of the military hospital.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe intention to close the military hospital at Colchester, as set out in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1975—Cmnd. 5976—remains unchanged. No date for the closure has yet been fixed. Discussions with DHSS on future hospital facilities in the area continue. The Army is considering plans to set up a medical reception station with support facilities for service personnel after the hospital has closed.