§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the present procedure for giving approval in principle to hospital capital expenditure projects; how it will alter after 1 April; and whether he proposes any transitional arrangements to projects currently in the pipeline.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettUnder current management arrangements for the NHS in Wales, district health authorities are responsible for the management and control of health building schemes. In exercising this control, they are required to follow Capricode which provides the mandatory procedural framework for processing NHS capital building schemes. Under these procedures any scheme with a works' cost of £4 million and over requires Welsh Office approval in principle before the authority can proceed with its further planning and design. These procedures will continue in force after 1 April 1992.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on how the new capital allocation system for hospital projects in Wales will work from 1 April with particular regard to capital projects connected with hospital closure proposals he has already statutorily approved.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettMy right hon. Friend will be announcing details of both capital and revenue allocations to district health authorities for 1992–93 later this month. At the same time, authorities will receive a paper summarising the new capital allocation and management arrangements on which they have already been consulted. I will ensure that a copy of this paper is placed in the Library of the House when it has issued.