§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many joint ventures were entered into between the private sector and NHS bodies in each of the last five years; 627W what was the cost or income to the NHS from these ventures; and what measures are taken by her Department to monitor such ventures.
§ Mr. SackvilleInformation in the form requested is not available centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 14 April at column293 and on 3 May at columns 456–58, and the reply I gave the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) on 2 November 1993 at columns 171–72 for the available information on private finance schemes.
The Department does not monitor private schemes centrally. However, we conducted a special exercise earlier this year to assess the progress of the private finance initiative and it is our intention to repeat this at some future date.