§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if, following the changes set out in his White Paper, "The New NHS", NHS trusts will still be able to retain funds generated by the sale of assets for the sole use of the trust concerned. [20734]
§ Mr. MilburnUnder the existing arrangements National Health Service trusts retain the proceeds they generate from the sale of their assets. Whether the trust can spend the cash it has generated is subject to the discretion of the appropriate NHS executive regional office. If, in the view of the regional office, a trust which has generated cash does not have an appropriate use for the money it is allowed to keep the cash but cannot spend it until an appropriate requirement can be identified.
The trust financial regime will be reconsidered in the light of comments on the White Paper. Any changes made as a result will be to ensure that resources are deployed in the most equitable way to maximise benefit to the NHS.