§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if the final outcome of the prioritisation exercise to be carried out by the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group will be subject to Treasury approval; [7790]
(2) if he will publish the membership of the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group; [7799]
(3) what methodology and criteria will be used by the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group in determining those projects which in Spring 1998 will be announced as (a) proceeding via the PFI or i(b) being funded from public sector capital; [7796]
(4) if he will make a statement on the criteria that will apply in the national capital prioritisation exercise to be undertaken by the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group; [7808]
584W(5) what plans he has to hold meetings of the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group in public; [7798]
(6) if he will list the criteria to be used by its NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group in coming to its decisions. [7795]
§ Mr. MilburnThe National Health Service Executive National Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group will comprise of senior members of both NHS Executive headquarters and regional offices. It will consider the case for all future major capital schemes and make recommendations to Ministers on priorities for both major publicly funded and Private Finance Initiative schemes. Details of its membership and working arrangements are being considered by Ministers and have not yet been finalised.
It is expected that the criteria for measuring health service need will be similar to that used to assess service need in the recent Private Finance Initiative prioritisation exercise, copies of which have been placed in the Library.