HC Deb 01 February 1988 vol 126 cc479-80W
Mr. Redwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services which hospitals built in the last 10 years have needed more than £1 million of remedial or maintenance expenditure in any one year; and how much has been spent on them.

Mrs. Currie

Information held centrally on hospital building schemes in England shows only one instance of expenditure in one year of over £1 million on the remedy of defects: building and engineering costs of reinstatement of the cardiac wing of Great Ormond street hospital are currently estimated at £17 million. Litigation continues in respect of claims for the recovery of these costs.

Annual maintenance expenditure of over £1 million is incurred on most hospitals over about 500 beds but the inquiries necessary for a breakdown between remedial and routine work could not be made without disproportionate cost. If my hon. Friend has any particular hospital in mind I would be glad to inquire for him.