§ 23. Paul HolmesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent studies his Department has commissioned, undertaken and reviewed concerning the use of private finance within the NHS.[504]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department of Health reviews all PFI projects through the Business Case approval system. To be approved, the Business Case must clearly demonstrate that, overall, the private finance option is better value for money when compared to the publicly funded alternative, the Public Sector Comparator (PSC), and that it provides improved facilities for the NHS. NHS Trusts are required to monitor performance throughout the lifetime of the PFI contract.
Because of PFI, six major new hospitals have opened and another 17 are under construction, representing capital investment in the NHS of over £2 billion.