HC Deb 02 December 1993 vol 233 cc707-8W
Ms Primarolo

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give(a) the number and location of each patient hotel, (b) the number of deaths that have occurred in patient hotels, (c) the nursing to patient ratio in the hotels, (d) the percentage of non-qualified staff attending to patients in hotels, (e) the number of private companies contracted to provide patient services in hotels, (f) details of all ministerial discussions concerning the introduction of charges for facilities in hotels and (g) what consideration she is giving to changing the name patient hotel to convalescent unit.

Mr. Sackville

The information requested is not available centrally. No ministerial discussions concerning the introduction of charges for facilities in hotels have taken place nor are we currently giving any consideration to what these units should be called.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what purposes a district health authority which no longer manages the provision of health care is authorised to apply or spend charitable trust funds retained after health care was transferred to the trusts.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

I have been asked to reply.

A district health authority is authorised to apply or spend charitable trust funds for all or any purposes relating to the national health service. In doing so, it acts as a charity trustee. Under section 90 of the National Health Service Act 1977 it is not necessary for the particular purpose to relate to health service provision made by that authority.

The purposes for which any particular fund is to be applied are to be gathered from the written instrument regulating that fund—failing which from the appeal literature. The authority is required to promote these purposes and no others in its use of the funds.

In circumstances where such purposes now fall within the responsibility of a NHS trust, the authority should consider asking the Secretary of State for Health for an order under section 92 of the National Health Service Act 1977 transferring the trust property from the authority to the NHS trust. Unless and until the funds are lawfully transferred under that section or otherwise to a new charity trustee, the authority remains fully responsible for the due application of the charitable trust funds.