§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average period is between completion of the Full Business Case and signing of the Final Contract for PFI hospitals; and what delays have been experienced in the delivery of services under those contracts. [128102]
§ Mr. DenhamThe length of time between the approval of the full business case and signing of the final contract for the major private finance initiative hospital schemes (capital value greater than £25 million) which have reached this stage is shown in the table. All these schemes are in the construction phase, for which they are either on or ahead of schedule, except Carlisle, which became operational in April 2000, 34 days ahead of schedule.
Period between FBC approval and contract signature Scheme Less than 7 days Calderdale Healthcare NHS Trust North Durham Healthcare NHS Trust Leeds Community and Mental Health Services NHS Trust Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust King's Healthcare NHS Trust St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust Less than one month South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust Worcester Royal Infirmary NHS Trust Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust Greater than one month 52 days Carlisle Hospitals NHS Trust 65 days South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 640 days Norfolk and Norwich NHS Trust
§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to monitor the(a) service provided by hospitals delivered under the Private Finance Initiative and (b) performance of PFI contracts for hospitals. [128100]
§ Mr. DenhamNational Health Service guidance requires NHS trusts to establish arrangements to monitor the implementation and performance of the private finance initiative contract in both the period up to46W completion and commissioning of the new facility and during the operational phase of the contract during which services are provided to the NHS trust.
§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what penalty clauses there are in the standard PFI contract for hospitals; and how often these have been invoked. [128101]
§ Mr. DenhamThe payment mechanism in a private finance initiative contract, which includes mechanisms for the withholding or deduction of payments to private sector partners for their failure to perform to time or to standard, is negotiated individually for each scheme within guidelines set out by the National Health Service Executive.
There has only been one instance to date of a penalty clause being invoked at the new major PFI hospital schemes.