IN an article which appeared in the Gazette on January 23, James Gray MP inaccurately alleges that the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, Hazel Blears MP, made a series of exceptionally dismissive and inappropriate comments about local health services in Kennet and North Wiltshire.

The Minister is cited, in quotation marks, as having made these comments during a meeting between the Minister, Mr Gray, the Rt Hon Michael Ancram MP and the chairman and chief executive of Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust.

I would like to draw your attention to a statement made by the Minister in the House of Commons on March 19.

In her answer to an oral Parliamentary question from Mr Gray, the Minister stated that the comments attributed to her in your paper are "entirely untrue."

They are in fact a blatant misrepresentation of both the content and tone of the meeting and specifically of the Minister's response to the concerns raised.

The discussion that took place in the meeting centred on the Government's policy of shifting resources and power to the front line of the NHS.

Against this background and against one of record levels of funding going into the service, the Minister emphasised that it was the local NHS that was best placed to understand and respond to local people's needs and expressed her confidence that the team at Kennet and North Wilts hire PCT would be able to ensure this.

Decisions must, of course, be soundly based on local people's views, gained through their proper involvement and consultation.

EMILY STOTT

Private Secretary

Department of Health

Whitehall, London