Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of of State for Social Services if she is satisfied that the service in homoeopathic medicine available to the public in Liverpool, North-West England and North Wales provided by the new hospital arrangements in Liverpool will be of the same or better quality as that formerly by the Hahneman Hospital.
§ Dr. OwenI am advised that the service which will be available from the Liverpool Clinic and Mossley Hill Hospital will be equivalent to that provided by the Hahneman Hospital.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what body or bodies are responsible under the National Health Service for administering those funds totalling about a quarter of a million pounds as well as the building and land in the London area which were 540W originally intended for the support and development of homoeopathic medicine.
§ Dr. OwenThe Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital and its endowment funds are administered by the Camden and Islington Area Health Authority (Teaching). The total assets of the funds, which are mainly for general purposes, are about £100,000 including property.
The Homoeopathic Research and Education Trust which is outside the NHS administers funds and property specifically for the advancement of homoeopathic medicine.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if she is satisfied that those endowment funds created to further particular branches of medicine, which were in existence before the inauguration of the National Health Service and before its recent reorganisation, and which are now under the control of area health authorities or district health councils, are still being used to further those branches of medicine for which they were originally intended;
(2) what funds existing originally for the support and development of homoeopathic medicine are now administered by district management teams, district health authorities and area health authorities;
(3) what is the total value of endowment funds devoted to the development and support of homoeopathic medicine which have been absorbed into the National Health Service since its reorganisation.
§ Dr. OwenWhen the former voluntary and local authority hospitals were transferred to the National Health Service on 5th July 1948 the endowments of those hospitals were likewise transferred and were freed of any trust existing immediately before that day by the provisions of the National Health Service Act 1946. These endowments or the income from their investment were thereafter held by the former NHS hospital authorities for purposes relating to hospital services—including research. There was however, a duty to secure so far as reasonably practicable that the objects of the trust were not prejudiced by the transfer. 541W Since the beginning of the NHS, hospital authorities were empowered to accept and administer property on trust for purposes relating to hospital services and research. Under the provisions of the NHS Reorganisation Act 1973 any such gifts and endowments, together with remaining pre-1948 endowments, were on 1st April 1974 transferred to the successor health authorities or to Special Trustees, and since that date these new authorities have been empowered to accept and administer further gifts in the future for all or any purposes relating to the health service. Endowments received by the former NHS hospital authorities since 1948 and held by them on trust for particular and specified purpose or for a specified hospital, continued to be held by the successor health authorities on the same terms of trust.
It is for the health authorities, as the trustees in whom such endowments vest, to determine how they are to be applied.
Information about the total value of trust funds held by health authorities for the purpose of homoeopathic medicine,
Hospital Whole-time equivalent trained nursing staff Whole-time equivalent Agency staff Proportion (at 31st January 1976) Per cent. Christchurch … … 120.41 Nil Nil Royal Victoria, Shelley Road … … 180.00 10.37 5.8 Christmas Close … … 13.13 1.00 7.6 Royal National … … 25.27 3.82 15.1 I regret that the information I gave the hon. Member in my reply of 2nd December 1975 was incorrect. The corrected figures are as follows:—
Hospital Whole-time equivalent trained nursing staff Whole-time equivalent Agency staff Proportion (at 26th November 1975) Per cent. Christchurch … … 108.99 23.55 21.6 Royal Victoria, Shelley Road … … 163.76 20.25 12.4 Christmas Close … … 13.12 1.00 7.6 Royal National … … 26.57 400 151 [Vol. 901, c. 549]
§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what the present position is in regard to the new Castle Lane General Hospital; and if she is able to confirm that construction work will commence during 1977.
§ Dr. OwenHealth authorities have recently been advised of capital allocations for 1976–77 and capital planning assumptions for the two following years542W or for any other individual specific purpose, is not held centrally.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many members of area health authorities or district health councils have been appointed who have had experience of the management of trust funds originally intended for the development and support of homoeopathic medicine.
§ Dr. OwenThis information is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.