§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons underlay the decision to sell the waste incinerator plant at Northwick Park Hospital. [123580]
§ Mr. DenhamThe then Northwick Park and St. Mark's Hospitals National Health Service Trust made a decision in 1996 to pursue the sale of its waste incinerator plant. This was based upon the view that, with waste disposal forming a non-core element of the Trust's activities, it would be prudent to explore the possible benefits of a partnership with the private sector that might facilitate the integration of clinical waste disposal into a wider and more environmentally-friendly waste management strategy.