§ Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on how many NHS beds within all regional health authorities are funded by commercial sponsors, charitable and philanthropic organisations.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe information requested is not collected centrally. Successive Governments have encouraged voluntary financial support for the national health service at local levels. This can include bed sponsorship arrangements, but is often provided in ways which cannot be directly related to beds. The sums involved are welcomed as an additional source of revenue for the NHS but nationally are small in comparison with central funding.