§ Mr. Anthony CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria must be met before a disease or condition is accorded key area status in the "Health of the Nation" strategy; and in what respects asthma fails to meet those criteria.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThree criteria, set out in "The Health of the Nation" Green Paper, governed the selection of the key areas: the area should be a major cause of premature death or avoidable ill-health; effective interventions should be possible, offering significant scope for improvement in health; it should be possible to set objectives and targets, and monitor progress towards them. Asthma was not selected as a key area because more information is needed for understanding causes and effective interventions before realistic targets can be set.