Nottingham Health Authority - Unlawful Expenditure

EDM number 2115 in 1992-93, proposed by John Heppell on 08/06/1993.

That this House is concerned that the draft report of K. F. Chidgey, District Auditor, shows that ú1.8 million has been spent unlawfully by the Nottingham Health Authority in entering into a partnership with a private company, Regency Park Ltd., to provide and manage a 22 bed clinic for drug and alcohol abuse, the outcome of which was to use Health Service money (a) to purchase a building at a cost of ú560,000, (b) provide half of the start-up funds of ú100,000 by way of a loan, (c) grant an interest-free loan of ú60,000 to fit out the building, (d) fund the salary of a marketing officer and unit manager at a cost of ú20,000, (e) pay ú6,000 per annum, chargeable to the clinic, for parliamentary consultancy services to the honourable Member who was responsible for instigating the scheme by approaching the Health Authority on behalf of the company; is further concerned that the Health Authority is arguing that the district auditor's report should not be published in the public interest; and therefore calls on the Secretary of State to ensure the district auditor's findings are not suppressed and to conduct a full public inquiry into how these abuses could have occurred.

This motion has been signed by a total of 45 MPs.