§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what attention is paid in deciding on locations of hospitals to the relative age and level of car ownership of the surrounding population.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe catchment area of a hospital will be determined by the contracts taken out by district health authorities or fund-holding general practitioner practices, on behalf of their residents and patients. Decisions on new hospital sites will be influenced by a variety of local factors, including accessibility.