NHS Cleaning, Catering and Laundry Services

HC Deb 30 July 1997 vol 299 cc392-3W

Mr. Jack

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on cleaning, catering and laundry services in(a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1996–97. [11275]

Mr. Milburn

For England, the information requested is available only for 1993–94, as shown in table 1, as a result of decisions by Conservative Ministers. In subsequent years, expenditure on cleaning cannot be separately identified and information on catering and laundry is confined to expenditure on external contracts as contained in table 2. Data for 1996–97 are not yet available.

Table 1: Expenditure by health authorities and NHS trusts on cleaning, catering and laundry services 1993–94—England
	Total £000
Cleaning	426,745
Catering	446,219
Laundry	164,693

Table 2: Expenditure by health authorities and NHS trusts on external contract catering and laundry services—England
£000
	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96
Catering	57,740	50,939	60,250
Laundry	24,367	30,047	34,581

Source:

1. The annual financial returns of NHS trusts.

2. The annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities, and the special health authorities of the London Postgraduate teaching hospitals.