HC Deb 19 May 1986 vol 98 cc57-8W
Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement about the proposed closure of the Fleming memorial hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, outlining the criteria used to reach such a decision.

with local office boundaries. The tables show the figures available for the Greater Manchester area as a whole. The figures provided refer to the position in December 1983, the latest details available.

Table A
Number of claimants*
Thousands
Total number of supplementary benefit claimants 267
Total number of pensioners 98
Total number of claimants with dependants 61
Total number of claimants under 25 years 57
* Number of claimants rounded to the nearest 1,000.

Mr. Hayhoe

Newcastle health authority will shortly be considering comments made on its proposal to transfer services from the Fleming memorial hospital. If the proposal is subsequently referred to me, I shall consider the case on its merits.