Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 16 Gorffennaf 1991.
Stephen Dorrell
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health)
12:00,
16 Gorffennaf 1991
No. The hon. Gentleman has got it diametrically wrong. Mr. Wilby has offered on a number of occasions to meet hon. Members from both sides of the House—[HON. MEMBERS: "Who?"] Mr. Wilby is the man who has been charged with the management of the London ambulance service and he is accountable to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. Some of my hon. Friends have met Mr. Wilby. Labour Members have consistently refused to do so. If the hon. Member for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) was seriously interested in representing the intrests of his constituents, rather than those of NALGO, he would agree to meet Mr. Wilby to learn something about the affairs of the London ambulance service from its management.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.