HC Deb 12 March 1996 vol 273 cc775-6
9. Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many projects for health facilities in England are currently subject to consideration under the private finance initiative. [18393]

Mr. Dorrell

All capital investment proposals in the national health service are considered for suitability for private finance as part of the capital planning process.

Mr. Wigley

Will the Secretary of State accept that some projects and locations are singularly inappropriate for private finance? Will he give the House an assurance that the Government will not impose private finance criteria on inappropriate projects, thereby delaying them for long periods when they could have made rapid progress?

Mr. Dorrell

I acknowledge that there are schemes for which public capital continues to be necessary. That is why there is still a huge public capital investment programme in the NHS. I also believe it true that the private finance initiative offers us the best opportunity that we have had in the history of the NHS to bring the facilities of the health service up to date and to give the best possible opportunity to the professions working in it to use modern technology and modern facilities to deliver the best health care to our patients.

Dame Jill Knight

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the PFI is one of the great NHS successes? Bearing in mind its success, would he like to open a book as to when the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) might decide on this one to change tack again, to follow her leader and to back the PFI?

Mr. Dorrell

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend's assertion that the PFI is an exciting thing happening in the health service.

Ms Harman

Nothing has happened.

Mr. Dorrell

The hon. Lady might like to take into account the fact that, over the past 10 years, despite the fact that the capital programme has been much bigger than it ever was under the previous Government, more than 10 projects—costing more than £25 million—have been given the go-ahead. That is 10 projects in 10 years. I have given the go-ahead to two more projects over the past three months. The hon. Lady knows that another 23 such projects are currently being assessed in the NHS. She seems to think it surprising that a project for which we announced a go-ahead in principle three months ago, costing £40 million, has not yet been signed in every particular. She is virtually unique in thinking that.

Mrs. Mahon

The Secretary of State will be aware that the tenders have gone out for the building of the new Halifax general hospital, and Tarmac, Mediclean or another company will presumably get the contract. Will he, first, give us his definition of clinical services and, secondly, give the people of Halifax a guarantee that their clinical services will not be put out to tender or run by such private companies?

Mr. Dorrell

I have given the assurance many times that I shall not approve private finance projects, the viability of which depend on clinical or clinical support services being delivered by the private contractor, unless there is clinical support locally for that particular scenario. That has been the position in the health service for many years now and I do not propose to change it.

Mr. Gallie

Is my right hon. Friend aware that my constituents can now use a magnetic resonance imaging facility in the South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS trust? It used a modified PFI, setting up a non-profit-making private company to provide that facility. Is that not tremendous news and a great example to every trust throughout the country?

Mr. Dorrell

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. What he recounts is good news for his constituents and it is good news for every citizen of the United Kingdom because it shows the way by which we will be able progressively to improve the capital stock of the NHS. My hon. Friend is a trail-blazer. My hon. Friends will all want to follow where he has led.