§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if it is normal practice for new town development corporations to finance the building of hospitals.
§ Mr. MoyleNo. It is for the appropriate health authorities to provide hospitals in new towns, and the allocation of health capital resources takes account of anticipated changes in the size of regional populations. Exceptionally, funds amounting to £0.5 million a year are being transferred from the new towns' programme to the area health authorities of Northampton, Milton Keynes and Peterborough for the years 1978–79 to 1981–82 for the additional provision of health service facilities as agreed by the three new town development corporations, which have accepted a cut in their capital allocations to make this possible.