§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the redeployment of financial resources from long-stay hospitals in the closure/partial closure programme and on how and where these have been used to develop services for community care for people with mental handicap.
162Wpossible. In addition to their allocations, health authorities will retain the benefit of cash released through cost improvement programmes, income from charges for the treatment of private patients and from income generation schemes, and receipts from the sale of surplus land and buildings.
These additional resources will allow substantial investment in the information management systems that are required to support implementation of the White Paper "Working for Patients", and will also make possible the further development of modern patterns of service for those with mental handicaps, and those suffering from mental illness; of breast and cervical cancer screening services; of programmes to address the problems of alcohol and other drug abuse; and of initiatives to support the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.