§ 34. Mr. Sheermanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the reaction of the Government to the recent suggestion that there should be directly elected health councillors to monitor the future running of the National Health Service.
§ Dr. VaughanIn its report—Cmnd. 7615, chapter 20—the Royal Commission saw a variety of difficulties and objections to elections of this kind. These included the difficulty of obtaining the right mix of professional experience and lay membership, the costs and complications of running a new set of elections, the inevitable involvement of party politics in the arrangements and the possible lack of public interest in the procedure. The Royal Commission concluded—paragraph 20.63—that it would be preferable to retain appointment arrangements in something like their existing form. The Government agree with this view.