I READ with amazement the comments made by North Cheshire Hospital Trust Chief Executive Paul Cronin in response to my questioning the amount of money the Trust spends on public relations. He has it would seem spun himself into some confusion. According to the answer I received on this subject from the Health Minister (from figures which I assume were provided by the Trust) the amount spent on PR in the first year since the merger with Halton was £24,462. This, according to the Minister, will rise by just under £5000 to £29,100 for the current year 2002/03. That figure does not seem in dispute. Mr Cronin implies a fall in PR spending when it has in fact risen over the lifetime of North Cheshire Trust. Clearly he needs to clarify his figures - are the ones given to the Minister right or is it the version in the Guardian that is correct?

M and M Associates state that of this money £11,000 is spent on producing public information. That still leaves £18,000 which presumably is spent on PR and 'spin'. That is an awful lot of money for a hospital trust to be spending in this way. I don't believe it needs a PR firm to enable highly paid Trust executives to give, as Mr Cronin suggests, an open and honest account of its activities. Indeed in two of the three years prior to merger Halton Hospital Trust managed to conduct their PR activities in-house. There remain many questions still to be answered on this issue

You can continue to let me know your views on this or any other issue by writing to me at - Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, WA2 7JQ, by phone 232480; by fax 232239; e-mail jonesh@parliament.uk.

HELEN JONES

MP for Warrington North