I feel I have to respond to Mr Simion's letter concerning Edgware Hospital ('Give us our A&E', November 1).

It is wrong to suggest that the Conservatives are committed to reviewing an A&E at Edgware. I have never heard a Conservative Party spokesperson suggest that the A&E could be restored at Edgware. Let us remember that they closed the A&E on April 1, 1997, in the first place.

Labour was committed to having a review of the facilities at Edgware.

This was carried out in the autumn of 1997, and led to the creation of the new Community Hospital, and the construction of the new hospital is underway.

It has taken a considerable amount of campaigning to get to this stage, and I think it is an insult to the local community which has worked so hard to achieve the result that we now have, to carp and criticise as Mr Simion does in his letter.

Andrew Dismore

Member of Parliament for Hendon

November 7, 2001 20:41