Lord Campbell of Croyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that the proceeds of sales of redundant land and buildings, formerly parts of mental hospitals in Scotland, will be allocated for future use in the treatment and care of mental patients in hospitals or in the community.
§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sanderson of Bowden)The proceeds of sales of surplus health service land and property are used for further investment in the Health Service. We do not generally specify the use which is to be made of the proceeds of sales of a particular category of property. But we have made it clear to health boards that they should give a high priority to the care of mental health and mental illness patients and capital expenditure on these categories of patient has been almost £20m per annum in recent years. That sum far exceeds the proceeds of sales of surplus mental hospitals and associated land.