§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to publish the reports issued from time to time on hospitals by the Scottish Hospital Advisory Service and the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.
§ Mr. RifkindThe individual reports prepared by these two bodies on their respective visits to hospitals are primarily for the benefit of the hospitals themselves and the health boards in whose areas they are situated, and I have no plans to arrange for their publication. However, general reports on the work of both bodies are now published annually. A report by the director of the Scottish Hospital Advisory Service is included in the annual report by the Chief Medical Officer of the Scottish Home and Health Department; and since last year the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has been required to present an annual report to Parliament. Copies of both reports are available in the Library.