§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the annual expenditure, in 1987 prices, from 1975–76 to date on repair, maintenance and improvement work on the Scottish National Health Service estate; what is his Department's estimate of the expenditure needed to bring the condition of the Scottish National Health Service estate to a fully reconditioned and repaired state, complying with up-to-date building standards, not including the reconditioning of parts of the estate for which there is no intention to recondition or repair, but where the proper course is demolition or disposal, or the expected depreciation of the estate in this financial year; what is his Department's estimate of the annual expenditure to prevent the Scottish National Health Service estate's condition from deteriorating, excluding those parts of the estate for which there is no intention to recondition or repair, but- where the proper course is demolition or otherwise disposal; and what is the capital value of National Health Service buildings in Scotland.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe table shows expenditure on repair, maintenance and upgrading of the NHS estate in Scotland at 1986–87 prices for the years 1978–79 to 1985–86. Because of changes in the format of health board annual accounts, comparable figures are not available for earlier years.
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Financial years £ million at 1986–87 prices 1978–79 98.8 1979–80 84.5 1980–81 76.9 1981–82 93.9 1982–83 88.7
Financial years £ million at 1986–87 prices 1983–84 95.4 1984–85 109.7 1985–86 116.2 1986–87 Not yet available A survey into the physical condition of the NHS estate in Scotland, conducted in 1981, estimated that £205 million was then required over a 10-year period to raise the condition of the estate to an acceptable standard. As a result of the Scottish Home and Health Department introduced in 1983–84 a special allocation to health boards specifically for backlog maintenance work. The sums thus allocated since 1983–84 are included in the figures in the table. A further survey of the physical condition of the estate is now in progress.
As regards the value of NHS buildings in Scotland, I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 6 February 1987 at column 711.