§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications of the incidence of occasions, since the award of private cleaning contracts at the Kent and Canterbury hospital, the Thanet district hospital and the Royal Seabathing hospital, upon which payments for specific cleaning areas have been suspended; and what action he proposes to take to deal with such occurrences.
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§ Mr. MellorA total of £million of the additional £million is for the hospital and community health services and has been distributed as shown in the table. The remainder is to meet the administrative costs incurred by the Department of Health in implementing the review.
§ Mr. FreemanThe issues raised are contractual matters between the relevant contractor and the Canterbury and Thanet district health authority. Ultimately both parties have the sanction of terminating the contract if there are continuing and serious breaches of its terms. Usually, however, mutually satisfactory arrangements are achieved without the need for drastic action.