§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has given to NHS trusts on(a) the kinds of information which they may deny to hon. Members and (b) the activities of a hospital trust that may be considered commercially confidential.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 20 May 1994]: There has been no advice to NHS trusts to deny any information to hon. Members but trusts are required to respect the right to patient confidentiality. Circular MEL(1993)38 issued on 25 March 1993 sets out the ground rules for access to information and openness in contracting. Trusts have been encouraged to adopt an open approach. A copy of the circular has been placed in the Library of the House.
22WFurthermore, I am pleased to announce that Mr. Adrian Ward MBE, chairman of the Royal Scottish national hospital and community NHS trust, has accepted my invitation to serve as chairman of the new trust. The names of the other non-executive directors will be announced later.