Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospitals in England rapid screen elective admissions. [156455]

Ann Keen [holding answer 8 October 2007]: Information on rapid methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) screening is not available centrally but we believe that it is used in a small number of hospitals.

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of wards in acute hospitals in England which will need to be temporarily closed to be deep cleaned. [156456]

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds there are at the Princess Royal hospital at Telford. [155790]

Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not centrally available, as the Department does not collect bed data at hospital level. However, this data is available at national health service trust level.

In 2006-07, the latest period for which data is available, there was an average daily number of 853 available beds provided by Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust. These consisted of beds open overnight and day only beds.

The future of the Princess Royal Hospital's 24 hour overnight pediatric service will be decided next Tuesday by the Joint Committee examining the future of Shropshire's two hospitals. The Committee is made up of representatives of Shropshire Primary Care Trust and Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trust.

Wrekin MP, Mark Pritchard, has written to Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt MP, asking for "a clear statement of intent" over the future of services and jobs at the Princess Royal Hospital.

The MP's letter follows a statement by the Health Secretary last week that the NHS was soon going to balance its books. The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust also claimed that it had reduced its deficit.

Mr Pritchard said:

Hospital bosses at the Princess Royal Hospital are "turning away new and life enhancing hospital equipment" because the Trust no longer has the funds to maintain equipment, that's according to local MP and hospital campaigner, Mark Pritchard.

The MP claims that the hospital's League of Friends, who the MP says, "do a sterling job" have been told by hospital bosses that they can no longer accept certain types of hospital equipment, donated by the League of Friends, because the Trust no longer has the money to maintain such equipment or meet their running costs.

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure that there is an independent assessment of the findings of the public consultation process that has taken place for the strategic services plan for the Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin primary care trusts. [106959]

Hospital campaigners have named the date for their community Hospital Bed Push. The idea is the brainchild of Wrekin MP, Mark Pritchard, who said that scores of staff and volunteer patients had already offered their support for the event. The bed push will be held on Saturday 3rd March. The Hospital Trust are expected to make their final recommendations following the public consultation process in the Spring.

Mr Pritchard said:

Wrekin MP, Mark Pritchard, has written to Tom Taylor, Chief Executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust, "seeking evidence" about the number of children admitted to the Princess Royal Hospital and the Royal Shrewsbury hospital paediatric wards for the last twelve months.

The MP believes the case for downgrading paedatric servivces overnight does not have any "empirical evidence or sound basis".

Mr Pritchard said:

Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con): Is the Secretary of State aware of discussions between Telford and Wrekin borough council, the Shropshire County primary care trust, the Telford and Wrekin primary care trust and the Royal Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals NHS trust about the £20 million debt in respect of maternity, paediatric and neonatal services?