SUPPLEMENT TO THE VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS

PETITION FROM SUPPORTERS OF WHIPPS CROSS HOSPITAL

18th January 2007

To the House of Commons.

The Petition of the supporters of Whipps Cross hospital,

Declares that we, the undersigned, being supporters of Whipps Cross hospital, deplore the consideration given to the reduction of services at, or the closure of, Whipps Cross hospital.

The Whipps Cross hospital provides vital medical facilities for over eighty thousand Redbridge residents and three hundred thousand in Waltham Forest. Any cutting of service runs the risk of putting lives at risk and leaving vast numbers of residents without local medical attention.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons takes a note of their objection to the reduction of services and the possible closure of Whipps Cross hospital, and ask the Government to act accordingly.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.

SUPPLEMENT TO THE VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS

Observations by the Secretary of State for Transport on the Petition [10th January] from the Supporters of the Keep South Reddish Railway Station Open Campaign against Network Rail's proposals for the closure of stations on the Stockport to Stalybridge railway line.

Services and stations on the railway route between Stockport and Stalybridge are covered by the North West Route Utilisation Strategy. A consultation document for this was published by Network Rail in November 2006 and the consultation period closed on 5th January 2007.

No formal application for either the withdrawal of this service or the closure of Reddish South or Denton stations has been made. If a formal proposal is made, it would follow the normal process and this would allow for any objections to be put forward.

Full details of the closure procedure have been published on the Department for Transport website

(http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_613452.pdf).

19th January 2007