§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the annual expenditure, in 1987 prices, from 1975–76 to date on repair, maintenance and improvement work on the English National Health Service estate; what is his Department's estimate of the expenditure needed to bring the condition of the English 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 the current financial year; what is his Department's estimate of the annual expenditure to prevent the English 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 England.
§ Mrs. Currie[pursuant to her reply, 13 May 1987]: The available information is as follows.
372W
Hospital and community health service revenue expenditure on maintenance in England Building at 1987–88 prices Engineering at 1987–88 prices Total at 1987–88 prices £ £ £ 1975–76 172,092 346,792 518,884 1976–77 158,064 240,066 398,130 1977–78 183,588 249,017 432,605 1978–79 186,876 255,845 442,721 1979–80 173,281 266,371 439,652 1980–81 188,749 277,741 466,490 1981–82 202,117 293,478 495,595 1982–83 190,415 295,126 485,541 1983–84 191,722 300,831 492,553 1984–85 190,998 300,327 491,325 1985–86 177,530 291,237 468,767 1986–87 n/y/a Information is not routinely collected on the cost of bringing the NHS estate in England up to the state as described in the question. Nor are separate estimates collected of the annual expenditure required to prevent deterioration. However, an exercise carried out in 1985 indicated that it would cost £1.7 billion to bring the whole estate up to a standard where the element was sound, operationally safe and exhibiting only minor deterioration. The capital value of the estate in England was given in my reply to the hon. Member on 4 February 1987 at column 702.