NHS Overseas Enterprises (Hansard, 1 March 1995)

§ Mr. Cousins
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the gross administrative costs of NHS overseas enterprises in each year since 1990, together with any offsetting income.

§ Mr. Sackville
This information is shown in the table:

£000

Year National health services overseas enterprises Administrative costs National health services overseas enterprises Total sales

1990–91 529 1,000

1991–92 367 1,176

1992–93 377 1,127

1993–94 371 1,600

§ Mr. Cousins
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a list of the projects and their value together with the sponsoring NHS provider of projects(a) committed and (b) commenced under the auspices or as a result of the intervention of NHS overseas enterprises since 1990.

§ Mr. Sackville
National health service overseas enterprises uses a database of some 800 professional staff from NHS trusts and health authorities to provide under contract both student training for overseas health care organisations and consultancy support for overseas health care projects.
Since 1990, with help from 32 NHS hospitals and health authorities, it has trained some 240 students from five countries, predominantly in the technician grades, at a total contract value of about £1.7 million. In addition, it has completed or is involved in 41 other projects in 17 countries with a contract value of around £2.5 million, and involving some 40 NHS hospitals and health authorities.

§ Mr. Cousins
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS overseas enterprises insures, or indemnifies, losses from cost overruns, defaults, or payments not received for projects under the auspices of NHS overseas enterprises; and how often such overruns or defaults have occurred since 1990.

§ Mr. Sackville
National health service overseas enterprises does not insure or indemnify against losses or bad debts. In the period form 1990–91 to 1993–94, its provision for bad debt, and the extent of write off, were as follows:586W

year Bad debt provision £ Bad debts written off £

1990–91 Nil Nil

1991–92 Nil 1,151

1992–93 Nil Nil

1993–94 10,000 Nil

£000
Year	National health services overseas enterprises Administrative costs	National health services overseas enterprises Total sales
1990–91	529	1,000
1991–92	367	1,176
1992–93	377	1,127
1993–94	371	1,600

year	Bad debt provision £	Bad debts written off £
1990–91	Nil	Nil
1991–92	Nil	1,151
1992–93	Nil	Nil
1993–94	10,000	Nil