§ 40. Mr. Flanneryasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has yet reached a conclusion on that section of the McColl report which deals with self-propelled wheelchairs for the chronically disabled; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonWe do not expect to reach conclusions on any part of the report before the completion of current consultations with a wide range of interests and initial work being carried out under the direction of the National Health Service Management Board. As an interim measure, and to ensure that this work is taken forward without delay, we have appointed a new general manager of disablement services who is accountable to the board for the operation of the artificial limb and wheelchair services, for collating responses to consultation, and for the detailed and urgent examination of issues raised by the report.