§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list for 600W each regional health authority the number of law suits involved in 1976–77 which gave rise to the recovery of the debts incurred by pay bed patients listed in his Written Answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr, Official Report, 2nd February 1978, column 266.
§ Mr. MoyleInformation on the number of law suits which gave rise to the figures quoted in my reply—[Vol. 943, c.266]—is not available within the Department, but I have asked regional health authorities to let me have details which I will publish in the Official Report.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to introduce legislation to require hospital consultants to indemnify the National Health Service for the cost of services provided to pay bed patients.
§ Mr. MoyleWe are considering how best to safeguard the National Health Service against losses due to slow payment or non-payment of pay bed charges.