§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to approve the revised strategy, April 1998, of the Dyfed Powys Health Authority. [48652]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsI met the Chair and other members of the Health Authority Board last month to discuss the strategic plan "Effective Care and Healthy People" and it is to be considered further at a meeting later this month between the Department, the Health Authority and NHS trusts in Dyfed Powys. In the light of these discussions, we will want to consider whether the plan represents a sound basis for NHS provision in Dyfed Powys.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide a breakdown of the potential savings of £350,000 per annum cited in paragraph 4.2.5 of his recently published consultation document on his proposal to dissolve the existing NHS trusts in the Dyfed Powys Health Area. [48653]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsParagraph 4.2.5 relates to the proposals to dissolve the Carmarthen and District and the Llanelli Dinefwr NHS Trusts. The reconfiguration project team for these proposals have identified by the year 2000–01 total savings as:
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£ Direct board savings 240,000 Management costs 75,000 Admin and technical support 175,000 Non staff 145,000 635,000 When off-set by recurring additional costs of £285,000, a recurring net saving of £350,000 will be realised.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the assumption contained in paragraph 4.4.2 of his consultation document on proposals to dissolve the existing NHS trusts in the Dyfed Powys Health Authority Area that Dyfed Powys Health Authority will receive financial support of £36 million between 1999–2000 and 2001–2002. [48650]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsThe paragraph in question gives Dyfed Powys Health Authority's estimate (at the time of preparation of the consultation document) of the amount of financial support needed to maintain services at their current level if trust reconfiguration were not to proceed. The Welsh Office is working with the health authority and trusts to refine their strategic plans and reduce this amount. The actual amount of financial support provided to the health authority over the three years will be decided on the basis of need and the availability of resources.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the previous examples of the mergers of small to medium NHS trusts cited at paragraph 1.4 of his recently published consultation document on his proposals to dissolve existing NHS trusts in the Dyfed Powys Health Authority Area. [48654]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsIn Wales, the merger of the Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trusts realised savings of £750,000 per annum, and, in England, the merger of the Isle of Wight Community Healthcare and St. Mary's Hospital NHS Trusts realised savings of £660,000 per annum.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the total cost in a full year of increasing the pay of the 33 per cent. of the staff of the Llanelli/Dinefwr NHS Trust, referred to at paragraph 4.1.6 of his recently published consultative document on his proposals to dissolve the existing NHS trusts in the Dyfed Powys Health Authority Area, to the comparable pay of the majority of the staff of the Carmarthen NHS Trust. [48655]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsCosts of harmonising pay and terms and conditions would depend on the precise outcome of negotiations with staff representatives, and no estimate is currently available to the Department. A new national pay system for NHS staff, with an emphasis on individual job evaluation, is under consideration by the Government and this should help ease the process of harmonisation in respect of staff employed by the Llanelli/Dinefwr and Carmarthen NHS Trusts if the proposals are approved.