§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was (a) the sum made available by his Department to the Crewe community health council in 1983–84, (b) the average public funds made available to funds of all community health councils and (c) the funding to the Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales in 1983–84; and what percentage reductions are proposed for 1984–85;
(2) what consultation he had with community health councils prior to his letter to the Association of Community Health Councils in England and Wales announcing the end of Department of Health and Social Security funding;
(3) what effects he expects his recently-announced funding plans for community health councils to have on Crewe community health council.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe hon. Member's questions seem to be based on a misunderstanding. The decision to move entirely to subscription funding for the news and information service of the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales—the only part of its work which was receiving departmental funds—was announced by my predecessor two years ago following consultation with community health councils and others on the future of the association. The last departmental grant came to an end in March last year. I sent the recent letter to which the hon. Member refers in response to a request from the association to reintroduce departmental funding. I repeated and endorsed the view taken by my predecessor that it is for local community health councils themselves to decide what kind of news and information service they require from their national association and to fund this aspect of its work through subscriptions in the same way as they do the rest. I did not558W consult individual community health councils again before repeating this established policy to the association, although our officials met officers of the association itself.
It has always been for regional health authorities to fund individual community health councils. The Mersey regional health authority's revised allocation to the Crewe community health council for 1983–84 is £29,782. The average allocation to community health councils in England in 1982–83 was £29,676; figures are not yet available for 1983–84.