§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy that the Scottish ambulance service shall continue to be run as an integrated and comprehensive service providing all patient services to all NHS trusts in Scotland. [26019]
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 22 April 1996]: The Scottish Ambulance Service NHS Trust will continue to provide accident and emergency 195W ambulance services under contract to Health Boards in Scotland. Where an NHS trust decides to invite competitive tenders for the provision of non-emergency patient transport services, the Scottish Ambulance Service NHS Trust shall continue to run that service if it can demonstrate through the tendering process that it can deliver the standard demanded and offer the best value for money.