§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she will list the capital expenditure programme on hospital and health centres agreed between her Department and the area health authority covering Oxford-shire and Berkshire since the inception of the authority;
(2) what discussions she has had with the area health authority responsible for Berkshire about the authority's proposed future capital expenditure programme for the community hospital at Newbury and the health centre at Thatcham.
§ Dr. OwenThe Oxford Regional Health Authority is responsible for the capital programme for hospitals and health centres in Oxfordshire and Berk-358W shire. My Department's agreement is required only for large schemes—with a works cost exceeding £350,000—and for such health centres as are to be provided from special allocations.
The only new scheme in these categories included in the 1974–75 and 1975–76 programmes, for Oxfordshire and Berkshire, is a health centre to be provided at Banbury. It is, however, open to the regional health authority to build health centres as small schemes from within its main capital allocations.
Proposals for future years' programmes are now being discussed between the regional health authority and the area health authorities for Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.