COMMUNITY HOSPITALS

That this House notes that the Government stated in the Health White Paper, `Our Health, Our Care, Our Say', that it intended to fulfil its 2005 General Election manifesto promise to develop a new generation of modern NHS community hospitals over a period of five years; notes that according to the Community Hospitals Association 3,000 community hospital beds have been lost since 1999; notes that 165 hospitals have suffered or are threatened with cuts of closure; notes that community hospital patients and supporters feel let down by the Government's failure to keep its promises on community hospitals including the recent announcement by the hon. Member for Leigh that `there is no target for the number of community hospitals we intend to fund'; and calls on the Government to allow a debate on community hospitals to be held in Government time on the floor of the House.