HC Deb 14 October 2002 vol 390 cc515-6W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce the decision on whether to establish a new NHS trust in East Lancashire following the consultation on hospital trusts merger. [69159]

Jacqui Smith

The proposal to establish the new trust in East Lancashire was approved on 29 July. The new organisation will be known as the East Lancashire Hospitals National Health Service Trust and will assume formal responsibility for services currently provided by the NHS trusts in Blackburn and Burnley with effect from 1 April 2003.

Local hon. Members were informed of this decision and I also wrote to my hon. Friend on 7 September following his letter to me dated 1 July on the same subject.