§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy of each health authority's local modernisation review for 2002–03 in the Library as soon as they are received. [14713]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 14 November 2001]: The purpose of the local modernisation reviews (LMR) is to engage local partners, frontline staff, and patients' representatives in reviewing what needs to be done to deliver national health service priorities locally. The outputs from this year's LMR will inform the annual planning round and the development of the 2002–03 "Service and Financial Frameworks" (SaFFs). These frameworks set out the levels of NHS activity and resources allocated to achieve the local health system's contribution to national targets for the coming year. NHS organisations will sign accountability agreements in relation to delivering their contribution to the 2002–03 SaFF.
LMRs are local planning exercises. The Department itself does not receive copies of these documents. We are unable, therefore, to place copies of LMRs in the Library. External scrutiny to the LMR process has been secured through local peer review and involvement by lay members of the local modernisation boards.