§ 13. Roger Casale (Wimbledon) (Lab)What plans he has to review the criteria and procedures by which the NHS acquires and disposes of estates. [177297]
§ The Minister of 'state, Department of Health (Mr. John Hutton)The latest guidance on the conduct of land acquisitions and disposals is contained in the Department's "Estatecode", a copy of which is in the Library. An updated version of that code was published last year. The guidance is kept under regular review.
§ Roger CasaleI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Does he recognise, however, that the wider public interest concerns—not least the quality of our urban environment—that are often involved in the disposal of NHS estates should be properly taken account of by the executives, who may be legally constrained, who undertake such disposals? Will my right hon. Friend undertake to review the guidance notes?
In the meantime, will the Minister consider examples of best practice such as the St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust in south-west London, which is disposing of the former Atkinson Morley's hospital site and is working with Merton council and local residents on projects such as a competition, to ensure that the best quality design is user? That not only gives us the money that we need to invest in the NHS, but is in people's best interests from the point of view of wider concerns such as the safeguarding of our green spaces.
§ Mr. HuttonYes, I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. I pay tribute to his work in representing his constituents on the development of the Atkinson Morley's site. I understand that the trust is in the process of submitting a revised planning application for the use of that land in order better to reflect some of the concerns expressed by my hon. Friend and his constituents. I am sure that he and they will welcome the fact that because it is metropolitan open land, there are restrictions on the extent to which it can be redeveloped. We always try to identify best practice across the NHS, and some of the work done by trust in my hon. Friend's constituency certainly counts as that.