§ Mr. A. Cecil WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since the introduction of privatisation into services provided for the Eastern health and social services board, what proportion of financial savings have been allocated to actual patient care and improvement of medical services.
§ Mr. HanleyThe health and personal social services in Northern Ireland have not been subject to a privatisation policy. There is, however, a requirement on health and social services boards to test the efficiency of their domestic, catering and laundry services through competitive tendering. All financial savings arising from competitive tendering contribute to the overall resources available to each unit of management to deliver its operational plan, the emphasis of which is actual patient care and improvement of medical services.