asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement on the reasons for the proposed transfer of the South-Western Hospital to St. Thomas's Hospital.

I have not yet received the final views of the regional hospital board about this proposal and I cannot for the present make any statement.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Lambeth group hospital management committee is strongly opposed to the whole project and that the delay in arriving at a decision, which has now extended over a period of at least six months, is denying very much-needed hospital beds to acute cases and chronic sick in the neighbourhood?

It is not correct to say there has been a delay of six months. It was only on 5th July last year that the regional hospital board was statutorily set up to re-organise the hospitals in the area and it is quite unreasonable to imagine that this complicated re-organisation could be done almost overnight.