§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health according to which criteria the national health service executive's capital prioritisation advisory group will assess health service need; and which agencies will be asked to contribute to this assessment. [12600]
§ Mr. MilburnThe National Health Service Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group will be responsible for determining the criteria for assessing health service need. It is expected that the criteria will include the ability of schemes to deliver benefits such as improved quality74W of clinical services, better access to services, development of training teaching and research, and improved environment.
Preliminary assessments are expected to be made by NHS Executive regional offices and the NHS trusts and the health authorities concerned. These assessments will be reviewed by the NHS Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when the capital prioritisation exercise by the national health service executive's capital prioritisation advisory group will begin; who will be consulted; and when the results are expected to be announced. [12599]
§ Mr. MilburnThe National Health Service Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group's first exercise will be to prioritise those schemes wishing to go forward in the second tranche of the Private Finance Initiative, which we expect to announce in the spring.
The process for prioritisation has yet to be finalised. Details will be announced before the of the year, following which work on this first exercise will begin.