§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by NHS region the hospital maintenance backlog on 1 July. [53295]
§ Mr. MilburnInformation about backlog maintenance as at 1 July 1998 is not available. The latest available figures relate to the year ended March 1997, and are as follows:
Cost to upgrade to Condition B £000 Total Northern and Yorkshire 389,804 Trent 207,031 Anglia and Oxford 241,965 North Thames 774,657 South Thames 369,546 South and West 234,293 West Midlands 361,041 North West 276,627 Total 2,854,964 Notes:
1. Backlog maintenance is defined as "the amount of money required to bring the physical condition of the estate, the statutory safety condition and the fire safety condition, up to Condition B
2. Condition B is broadly defined as 'sound, operationally safe, and exhibits only minor deterioration'
3. The figures for the year 1997–98 will be available in November 1998