§ Dr. HendronTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for replacing X-ray and nuclear medicine equipment in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the provision of such equipment. [38228]
§ Mr. MossThe replacement of X-ray and nuclear equipment in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of health service providers. Annual allocations of general capital made to these providers enables them to set their own local priorities and make any arrangements for the replacement of equipment including X-ray and nuclear medical.
Since October 1991 the contracting and purchase of diagnostic imaging equipment have been arranged centrally through the regional supplies service. The effectiveness of these procedures is demonstrated by the substantial discounts in excess of 20 per cent. which have been achieved since their introduction. Increasingly in the future I will be looking to the private finance initiative to help tackle some of the problems in equipment replacement.