§ Mr. PageTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what sums of money that have been recently announced for the hospice movement will be available to the private sector. [32549]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 1 February 2002],: Hospices are provided either by the voluntary sector or by the national health service.
In the NHS Cancer Plan we pledged that the NHS contribution to the costs of specialist palliative care (including voluntary sector hospices) would increase. By 2004 the NHS will invest an additional £50 million in specialist palliative care. This will match on a national basis the funding provided by the voluntary sector and will enable the NHS to increase their contribution to the costs hospices incur for agreed levels of services.