asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost to the National Health Service of the recent work-to-rule of hospital engineers; and who will be responsible for the cost of the dispute.
Information about the costs incurred as a result of the works supervisors dispute is not held in my Department and could not be identified without disproportionate cost. The general information available indicates that whilst increased costs were incurred on some items, notably linen supplies, planned expenditure on inpatient services and some minor works was not possible; thus the net effect of the dispute on costs is by no means clear-cut.Health authorities will be expected to absorb any effects of the dispute in their ordinary revenue and capital allocations.