HC Deb 27 March 1996 vol 274 cc1028-30
14. Mr. Ingram

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many private finance initiative schemes are currently being considered for the NHS in Scotland. [21333]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

Fifteen.

Mr. Ingram

In reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion), the Minister avoided answering the question about the Stonehaven experiment. Will the Secretary of State give an absolute guarantee here and now that no direct clinical services will be undertaken by the private sector under the Hairmyers PFI scheme? A simple, straightforward, yes or no answer will do.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The answer is no. Any board or NHS trust can put forward proposals if they are carefully worked out in the best interests of the community concerned. I would endorse the words of no less a person than the hon. Member for Hamilton (Mr. Robertson), who issued a press release on 10 January 1995 saying: We are not opposed to public/private partnerships—they bring in much needed money for the NHS". He was right when he said so, and it is that policy that we are implementing today.