§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list each hospital closure referred to the Secretary of State in the last 16 years; [23597]
2) how many hospitals closures were referred to the Secretary of State for approval due to community health council objection in each year since 1979; and what was the decision of the Secretary of State in each case. [23596]
§ Mr. MaloneI refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 18 April, column120 for a list of proposed closures and changes of use considered by Ministers following community health council objection for the period from January 1992 to December 1994. Information before this could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Ministers approved all the proposals except the proposed closure of Ponteland and Lemington hospitals, Newcastle.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide official figures for the number of hospitals opened and closed since 1 April 1991. [23593]
§ Mr. MaloneThis information is not available centrally.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date her approval ceased to be required for opening or closing a hospital. [23595]
§ Mr. MaloneMinisterial approval has never been required for the opening of a hospital. Ministers continue to make final decisions on closures when they are contested by the local community health council.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what date the decision not to collect information centrally on hospital closures and openings was made; and if she will make a statement; [23591]
280W(2) if she will consider reintroducing centrally held information on hospital closures and openings including size, type and location of the hospital in question. [23592]
§ Mr. MaloneThe collection of information centrally on hospital closures ceased during 1991. Information on hospital openings has never been collected centrally. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals there were in England by region and in total on 1 April. [23598]
§ Mr. MaloneInformation on the number of hospitals in England is not available for 1 April 1995. For previous years I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 16 May, columns173–76.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is provided to her Department by regional health authorities on the number of hospitals opened and closed. [23594]
§ Mr. MaloneRegional health authorities refer to Ministers only those proposals for hospital closures which are contested by the local community health council following RHA consideration.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 30 March,Official Report, column 716, how many hospitals provide (a) acute services, (b) maternity services, (c) geriatric services, (d) mental health services, (e) learning difficulty services and (f) specialist services, by region and by total. [22832]
§ Mr. Malone[holding answer 9 May 1995]: The information requested is not available centrally.