NHS Reorganisation

I have listened with interest to what my hon. Friend has to say, and I ask her please not to take any notice of the county councils on this issue. I do not understand the criteria or the figures on which such amalgamation is based. My PCT is one of the most expensive in my area. In terms of management and administration, it costs £27 a head for every man, woman and child in the area—a sum far greater than that applying to other PCTs in the region. I cannot understand why the Department is still pressing ahead with a PCT that will cover nearly three quarters of a million people and all of south Staffordshire, given that the average figure for west midlands PCTs is 230,000. I am not opposed to any amalgamation that improves services, but I want to know what the criteria are and how they have been arrived at, and how we can provide an effective local service for people on this scale. My hon. Friend has yet to make the case.