§ Mr. Eggarasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether it is Her Majesty's Government's policy that funds generated by the disposal of assets by the National Health Service should accrue to the sole benefit of the National Health Service without any offsetting reduction in the departmental vote.
§ Mr. John PattenThe expenditure plans set out in the recent Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9428) recognised that the National Health Service would have available all the funds released through sales of assets in addition to the sums allocated from central Government. The Government's policy is that the capital funding which health authorities have available to them should be adequate to meet their needs for investment in the maintenance, modernisation and necessary development of health infrastruture, including rationalisation, improved efficiency and lower running costs wherever attainable.