HL Deb 03 May 2000 vol 612 cc185-6WA
Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In relation to all Private Finance Initiative agreements initiated on behalf of National Health Service Trusts since 1 April 1998, what has been the average period of time between identifying a preferred bidder and reaching "financial close"; how many such agreements have been so concluded; and how many have not yet been concluded. [HL2100]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)

Information on the initiation date and the date of the selection of preferred bidder is not held centrally for Private Finance Initiative schemes with a capital value below £10 million.

Two PFI schemes with a capital value of over £10 million given approval to proceed since 1 April 1998 have reached preferred bidder stage. Neither of these schemes has reached financial close. The date of selection of preferred bidder and their target dates for financial close are shown in the table:

PFI scheme Date of selection of preferred bidder Target date for financial close
Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 31 March 2000 September 2000
West Middlesex University Hospitals NHS Trust 18 February 2000 August 2000

Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) how many Private Finance Initiative projects currently in negotiation on behalf of National Health Service Trusts are currently at the "preferred bidder" stage; (b) how many of these have been at the "preferred bidder" stage for more than 12 months; and (c) what is the longest period for which any of the projects mentioned in (a) have been at the "preferred bidder" stage. [HL2099]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Information on the date of selection of preferred bidder is not held centrally for schemes with a capital value of below £10 million.

Fourteen Private Finance Initiative schemes with a capital value of over £10 million have reached preferred bidder stage and are currently still in negotiations. These are as follows:

PFI scheme Date of selection of preferred bidder
Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 31 March 2000
West Middlesex University Hospitals NHS Trust 18 February 2000
Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust December 1999
Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust August 1997
Newbury NHS Trust July 1998
Newham Community Health NHS Trust December 1998
Newham Healthcare NHS Trust June 1999
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust August 1997
Redbridge Healthcare NHS Trust August 1998
Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust July 1996
Thames Gateway NHS Trust October 1995
Southampton Community Health Services NHS Trust February 1997
Portsmouth Healthcare NHS Trust July 1996
University College London Hospitals NHS Trust October 1996