HC Deb 12 April 1988 vol 131 c4
3. Mr. Rowe

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money was realised from the sale of properties surplus to National Health Service requirements in each year since 1979.

The Secretary of State for Social Services (Mr. John Moore)

In 1978–79 the National Health Service received £7.5 million from the sale of surplus property. By 1986–87 receipts had increased almost twentyfold to £146 million, and in the financial year just ended we expect them to be about £200 million. I will, with permission, circulate figures for each of the last 10 years in the Official Report.

Mr. Rowe

My right hon. Friend is to be congratulated on that excellent result. Is he aware that the present rules governing the disposal of such property militate sharply against any attempt by district health authorities to improve the asset before disposing of it? In his new review of the Health Service, will he undertake to look into that matter?

Mr. Moore

My hon. Friend fairly acknowledged that the record is such as to suggest that we are succeeding in this area. I shall look at the point that he makes, because we all want the resources of the Health Service to be used for the best patient care.

Mr. David Martin

I hope that when disposing of property my right hon. Friend will take into account the importance of green space. In areas such as Portsmouth one hopes that the development that takes place will not be so dense that we lose all the traditional amount of green space that people have grown used to seeing in National Health Service properties.

Mr. Moore

I remind my hon. Friend that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment issued guidelines last autumn which should enable appropriate development of disused hospital sites in the green belt without—I stress the point that my right hon. Friend made—prejudicing the Government's green belt policy.

Following is the information:

Proceeds of NHS land sales 1978/79 to 1987/88
Year £ million
1978–79 7.5
1979–80 10.0
1980–81 15.4
1981–82 19.4
1982–83 18.2
1983–84 31.5
1984–85 48.9
1985–86 82.9
1986–87 146.0

The figure for 1987–88 is not available but is expected to be of the order of £200 million.