Michael Fabricant welcomes the £1 billion to be spent on the National Health
Service next year "provided this is new money" he says. The spending
pledge was made in Mr Brown’s annual pre-Budget statement in Parliament
today (27th November). Chancellor Gordon Brown committed the government to
a "world class", publicly-funded healthcare system.

"I welcome this move and hope that it will result in improvements in health
care in the West Midlands", Michael Fabricant says. "But we have heard
these claims of billions before. Either it is not new money, just money
shifted from one health budget to another, or it is absorbed by increased
overheads.

"The last 4 years have been disappointing with hospital closures across the
West Midlands. Many people have grown cynical as a consequence.

"The acid test will be whether hospital services – currently scheduled for
closure in Lichfield and Burntwood – will now be kept open" adds Michael
Fabricant.