§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the Gwynedd health authority last provided his Department with strategic plans concerning Health Service provision in the Caernarfon area; and at what date he expects updated plans to be made available to him.
§ Mr. GristGwynedd health authority submitted its last service-wide strategic plan to the Welsh Office in 1986. It is currently proposed to ask health authorities to submit their next long-term plans by December 1991.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the chairman of Gwynedd health authority has informed him as to whether revenue resources provided by the Welsh Office to that authority, are adequate for the maintenance of current standards of health care by that authority in Gwynedd; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GristI refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave to him on Wednesday 9 May which indicated that neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor his predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker), had received any recent representations from the chairman of the Gwynedd health authority concering the adequacy of that authority's current level of revenue provision.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any changes have been instituted following the report of Welsh Office consultants on the financial position of Gwynedd health authority in September 1987, concerning the budgetary control procedures of that authority; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GristGwynedd health authority's budgetary control procedures, along with those of all other health authorities in Wales, were examined by the statutory auditor during the course of his 1987–88 audit round. The auditor found that the criticisms of such procedures as had been made previously by Deloitte Haskins and Sells in its 1987 report on the authority's financial position were being addressed and, in keeping remedial action under review, he did not find cause to report on progress during his 1988–89 audit round. Indeed, I would expect all of the weaknesses in the authority's control procedures that were identified in 1987 to have been remedied by now, particularly since my right hon. Friend's predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Walker) wrote to all DHA chairmen in 1989 stressing the need for strict budgetary control and received an assurance from each chairman that this need was well appreciated. However, the apparent further deterioration in Gwynedd health authority's financial position during 1989–90 suggests that action taken to date by the authority to restore budgetary control has not been sufficient. My right hon. Friend and I therefore await the findings of the further study by Coopers and Lybrand, Deloitte which has recently been commissioned by the authority together with 193W any further reports which the statutory auditor may choose to issue during the course of his current audit round.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the names of those appointed by him to the Gwynedd health authority currently serving on that authority; and, for each member, what was the date of appointment and the date on which the appointment terminates or comes up for re-appointment.
§ Mr. GristThe information requested is as follows:
Date current appointment made Date current appointment expires Mrs. N. L. Edwards CBE (Chairman) 1 August 1986 31 July 1990 Dr. J. B. T. Griffiths 22 August 1986 31 July 1990 Mr. G. Hulse 19 August 1988 31 July 1992 Mr. G. W. Jones 1 August 1986 31 July 1990 Dr. J. H. Jones 1 August 1988 31 July 1992 Mr. R. H. P. Oliver 1 August 1988 31 July 1992 Lt. Col. Prescott Walker 1 August 1986 31 July 1990 Lady Jane Stanley 1 August 1986 31 July 1990 Mr. T. Thomas 19 August 1988 31 July 1992 Mrs. M. P. Wiliam 1 August 1986 31 July 1990 Mr. J. L. Williams 1 August 1988 31 July 1992
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has given the Gwynedd health authority permission to plan a reduction in services to the public during 1990–91 involving increasing hospital waiting lists; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GristThe permission of my right hon. Friend is not required for planned changes in health services solely on the basis that they might affect hospital waiting lists.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing for each of the past 10 years the expenditure funded by his Department for current account spending of Gwynedd health authority in terms of(a) current money figures and (b) constant money figures.
§ Mr. GristThe information requested is shown in the table:
Revenue charge against cash limit At outturn prices (£000) At constant 1988–89 prices (£000)1 1979–80 23,169 43,602 1980–81 30,153 47,949 1981–82 34,023 49,277 1982–83 37,212 50,267 1983–84 39,146 50,522 1984–85 44,250 54,407 1985–86 47,794 55,775 1986–87 49,903 56,323 1987–88 55,841 59,818 1988–89 62,637 62,637 1 Outturn prices adjusted by reference to the gross domestic product index of general inflation. Source: Health authority annual accounts.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether Welsh Office approval was sought or needed by Gwynedd healh authority for the reduction in services in the Arfon area caused by the reduction of four nursing posts in the Arfon unit community service; and if he will make a statement.
194W
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, by items, the proposed annual revenue savings of the action plan proposed by Welsh Office consultants in September 1987 for cost reduction by Gwynedd health authority; and for the last recent available date what is the extent to which each of these items has been achieved or will be achieved in the financial year 1990–91.
§ Mr. GristI shall write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps under the default powers of section 85 of the National Health Service Act 1977 to remove every nominated member of Gwynedd health authority from their office in favour of new appointees.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied that the Gwynedd health authority acted within its statutory powers and responsibilities during the financial year 1989–90.
§ Mr. GristI have no reason to believe that the Gwynedd health authority did not act within its statutory powers and responsibilities, but in common with all other health authorities in Wales the authority will be subjected to an annual review of its performance in 1989–90 conducted by the executive committee of the health policy board.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he still accepts the report of Deloitte Haskins and Sells, on the financial position of the Gwynedd health authority, as the guiding document for the financial restructuring of the Gwynedd health authority; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GristThe action plan aimed at bringing the Gwynedd health authority back into financial balance which was drawn up by the general manager of the authority early in 1988 with the help of the management consultants, Deloitte Haskins and Sells remains the agreed strategy for the financial restructuring of the authority. However, in the light of the apparent further deterioration in its financial position, the authority, with some Welsh Office financial assistance, has re-engaged the consultants to help review the situation, to identify whatever further action is necessary to restore financial balance, and to produce a pathfinder business plan for the contractual provision of services from 1 April 1991.