§ Mr. George Gardinerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the appointment of a special working party to investigate and advise upon the selection of sites for regional security units; and whether he will request regional health authorities not to reach decisions on specific site proposals until this special working party has reported.
§ Mr. EnnalsI think the hon. Member may be referring to a suggestion which arose in the course of a meeting I recently had with representatives of the TUC about the continued slow progress towards establishing regional psychiatric security units. It was suggested that it might be helpful to establish a working group involving the Department, the NHS, the unions and the professions to explore with each region the difficulties it is encountering in making progress not only with the setting up of a regional security unit but with interim arrangements in the meanwhile; and to consider with the RHA whether there is any help the group or individual members of it can give. I indicated to the TUC delegation that I would consult urgently with the other interested parties about the setting up of such a working group and I am in the course of doing this.
Since the purpose of the proposed group is to assist in speeding progress it would not be right for me to ask regional health authorities to suspend action.