§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his proposals to redraw regional health area boundaries so that they are coterminous with regional Government boundaries. [16206]
§ Mr. HuttonAs part of the programme to shift the balance of power from Whitehall to frontline staff, the Department is proposing to abolish its national health service regional offices by 1 April 2003. We are introducing four directorates of health and social care by April 2003 responsible for strategic oversight of health and social care activity in London, the south of England, the west midlands and eastern England and the north of England respectively. They will cover areas with outer boundaries coterminous with the Government offices for the regions. These arrangements are in line with the Government's policy on coterminosity set out in the Modernising Government White Paper.