Brooks questions PM on Community Hospital project

Braintree MP Brooks Newmark has challenged the Prime Minister for a second time on the Government's failure to provide a community hospital for Braintree. Braintree MP Brooks Newmark has challenged the Prime Minister for a second time on the Government's failure to provide a community hospital for Braintree:

Mr. Brooks Newmark (Braintree) (Con): This afternoon, I am meeting Mrs. Phyllis Webb and a delegation from the Braintree pensioners action group to discuss the Government's failure to deliver on a promise to build a community hospital in Braintree. Would the Prime Minister care to join us at that meeting?

The Prime Minister: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for making me aware of his programme of events for the rest of the day. I understand the frustrations of people in local areas when they want facilities. I shall certainly look at what he says to me on this matter, but I think that he will agree that if we are to spend more on community hospitals and more on hospitals generally, we will need to fund the health service properly. He should agree with us on the funding of the NHS.

After Question Time Mr. Newmark said, "We may have a new Prime Minister but what we need is a new community hospital. I am disappointed that Gordon Brown was still unable to give me a straight answer on the Government's intentions for the project. He was well aware that I was likely to press him on this issue because I have already raised it with his predecessor and he has any number of Civil Servants on hand to give him a full briefing.

I am, however, glad that he has promised to look into this matter and I have already written to him to follow up on that offer. Gordon Brown makes a great deal of noise about investment in the NHS but I will keep pressing him until he and his Ministers agree to give us the community hospital that we were promised."