§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Royal College of Radiologists' recent report, if he will assess the cost to public funds of(a) providing 48 new linear accelerators and (b) replacing 44 existing linear accelerators. [50949]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 17 July 1998]Linear accelerators cost around £1 million each depending on local circumstances such as the model selected and optional extras. The pair of reports from the Royal College of Radiologists will provide valuable information for local planning of services; the National Health Service Executive, health authorities and trusts will find them useful for formulating and assessing proposals for radiotherapy services.