§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish area by area all hospital and ward closures and all out-patient reductions in facilities, including those in casualty departments, carried out by health authorities in their efforts to keep within the cash limits decided by his Department.
§ Dr. VaughanCash limits for area health authorities are decided by regional health authorities, not by my Department. Permanent closures of hospitals occur for a number of often inter-related reasons, of which the main ones are capital development and service rationalisation. Comprehensive information on minor or temporary closures or on facilities in outpatients and casualty departments is not available centrally.