THE Freedom of Information Act is being used in a bid to discover who is deciding the future of Banbury's Horton Hospital.

The town's MP, Tony Baldry, has demanded the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust releases the names, job titles, and qualifications of members of working groups, after the trust refused a similar request from the Horton Hospital Stakeholders Group.

The working groups have been set up to rethink proposals that would have seen drastic cutbacks to maternity, obstetric, and children's services at the Horton, including the closure of the special care baby unit. Their findings are due to be announced within the next few weeks.

The trust used the Chatham House Rules as a reason not to disclose who the working members are.

The rules are designed to prevent comments being attributed to individuals serving on bodies such as the working groups.

But Mr Baldry said: "I am on the Council of Chatham House - so I speak fairly authoritatively when I say the trust has got it wrong in their interpretation of how things can be reported.

"I understand that at a recent meeting of the Horton Hospital Stakeholders Group, a request was made that the membership of the working groups, their positions and qualifications, should be made public.

"I also understand that the trust's response was that because of Chatham House Rules, the membership of these groups has to be kept secret.

"It is possible that there was a misunderstanding as to what was said, but there can be no possible justification in using the Chatham House Rule as a reason for not naming the working groups "I have formally requested, under the Freedom of Information Act, that the trust publishes the names, positions, and professional qualifications of those on the working groups who are considering the future of services at the Horton."

Helen Peggs, spokesman for the trust, said: "My understanding is that the issue is not straight forward. If names are to be published (and this has not been fully discussed and agreed), each person will need to be asked first.

"There are working group meetings over the next couple of weeks, so hopefully it can be resolved one way or the other soon."