Private Finance (NHS) (Hansard, 13 November 2001)

§ 24. Mr. Carmichael
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the use of private finance within the NHS. [12129]

§ Mr. Hutton
To be approved, the Private Finance Initiative option for every national health service capital investment project must demonstrate, in a full business case, that it provides improved facilities for the NHS and that, overall, it is value for money when compared to the publicly funded alternative, the Public Sector Comparator.

§ 34. Mr. Rendel
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the use of private finance within the NHS. [12140]

§ Mr. Hutton
To be approved, the private finance initiative option for every national health service capital investment project must demonstrate, in a full business case, that it provides improved facilities for the NHS and that, overall, it is value for money when compared to the publicly funded alternative, the public sector comparator.
Because of PFI, 10 major new hospitals have opened in the United Kingdom and another 17 are under construction, representing capital investment in the NHS of over £2.4 billion.