asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider the allocation of special funding to area health authorities unable to fund the development of district-based services as set out in "The Way Forward".
"The Way Forward" emphasised that, while total self-sufficiency in any district is not a necessary aim, major imbalances in opportunities of access to services needed to be corrected over time in the planning and allocation process. I expect regional health authorities in England, in allocating funds to area health authorities, to have regard both to an assessment of relative need based on the recommendations of the Resource Allocation Working Party and to local circumstances affecting the pace at which changes can sensibly be made in the pattern of allocations. It is for area authorities to plan the use of their funds having regard to policy guidance given by my Department and the regional health authority and to local circumstances. I have no intention of changing these methods of allocating resources and of planning development of services.