---

North East Ambulance Service

I will go on to inform my hon. Friend of some of the progress that has been made in that area. In identifying proposals for the north-east, the trust drew on the national control room review, but also employed a consultancy to evaluate a number of existing and potential new sites for its control centres. The consultancy provided a set of independent recommendations that were shared with all stakeholders prior to a formal consultation. Five proposals were outlined in the consultation. I understand that the NEAS preferred the option of establishing two independent contact centres. It believed that that would best achieve continuation of service and provide adequate contingency in case of emergency. I believe, however, that two further proposals have been suggested during the consultation period. One, suggested by Cleveland police, was that the facilities at the control room in Middlesbrough should be extended to make it an independent contact centre. The second was put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton, North (Frank Cook), who is not in his place. He suggested that the second contact centre be located in Wynyard. I commend Cleveland police and my hon. Friend on their interest and engagement in the matter, and I believe that both options will be considered by the board alongside all the others. The NEAS has made it clear that it views its proposals as having been drawn from extensive investigations by independent and nationally recognised industry experts in emergency service control rooms. They are intended to achieve the best possible resilience and an uninterruptible emergency service, and to make the most of technological and medical advances. The role of the Department of Health and the Secretary of State in local reorganisation is rightly limited. If my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland and others still have concerns once the board’s decision has been made, I advise them to make every effort to resolve them with the NEAS. Should it be necessary, the second course of redress would be to raise concerns with the local authority’s overview and scrutiny committee. If that committee wished to contest the proposals on the basis that the consultation was inadequate or that they were not in the interests of the health service, it could refer the case to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State would then ask the independent reconfiguration panel to undertake an initial assessment to determine whether a full review was needed. I have been reassured by the NEAS that it is keen to avoid redundancies. My hon. Friend mentioned the potential loss of not only jobs but expertise, which is vital to the service. It is keen to avoid any such redundancies, regardless of the board’s decision about the reorganisation of the control rooms. The trust has been in close contact with the unions, and I am assured that it will hold one-to-one interviews with staff to discuss the options available once a decision is known. I encourage the trust to continue to support its staff through the period of change, particularly while waiting for decisions. Once decisions have been made, I encourage it to acknowledge the knowledge and expertise in the area.