§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he proposes to seek to limit the number of private hospitals in London; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinNot at the moment. The controls on private hospital developments are contained in the Health Services Act 1976, as amended by the Health Services Act 1980. The general position under this legislation is that individual developments below 120 beds do not need my authorisation unless they are in areas designated by me under section 12A of the 1976 Act. Designation of an area is dependent on an application to me from the health authority and on my being satisfied that further development would significantly prejudice the NHS. No such applications for designation have yet been made, but I understand that Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster area health authority (teaching) have started local consultations on a possible application.