§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide the evidence on which he bases his assessment that the National Health Service will benefit financially and otherwise by contracting essential services, namely, laundry, catering, and so on, to private contractors.
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§ Sir George YoungIt is for individual health authorities to determine, in the light of local needs and circumstances, the advantages of putting a particular service out to contract. Such contracts of course already exist. I believe that there are many situations in which the initiative and cost-consciousness of private contractors can be of benefit to the National Health Service, and I am anxious that authorities should give careful consideration to the possibility of collaborating with industry in providing a variety of services.