Monday 5th October 2020

(3 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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All of the 15,000 have been contacted for the first time.

Tim Farron Portrait Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD)
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In the Secretary of State’s statement, he spoke with pride about the Prime Minister’s announcement on Friday of the additional capital programme for hospitals. In Cumbria, we met that announcement with some dismay. As the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Cat Smith) said, there is a proposal to close the Preston and Lancaster hospitals and merge them into a single hospital somewhere in between. Does the Secretary of State realise that that will mean even longer journeys for acute care for people from the South Lakes? Will he have a word with the Prime Minister, and drop that dangerous proposal from the consultation, so that people in south Cumbria do not have to make dangerous journeys for emergency care?

Nigel Evans Portrait Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)
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Order. That was only touched on briefly in the statement, which was a covid update. It would have been really nice if the hon. Member could have asked his question in relation to the covid update, which is what the statement was mainly about.