§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the violation of the agreement between the trustees of the Mater Hospital and the Department of Health and Social Security that the capital costs of upgrading the hospital buildings would be met by the trustees and not by the Department; and what is the amount 704W of money involved which has had to be paid by the Department.
§ Mr. CarterUnder an agreement with the trustees, the health service in Northern Ireland is responsible for running the Mater Hospital but deliberations on an initial reconstruction scheme have been protracted and it was necessary for the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland to carry out essential minor works schemes at an estimated cost of £670,000. This work was undertaken without prejudice to the outcome of those deliberations and agreement has since been reached between the Department and the trustees on an initial reconstruction scheme, on the need to amend the original agreement and that the cost of the scheme should be shared. The expenditure on the minor work schemes is subsumed in that cost.