§ Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the projects in her Department which have been considered as potential public-private partnerships since 1997 which have not been undertaken because the public sector comparator had a lower net present value than the public-private partnership proposed; and if she will make a statement. [13451]
§ Mr. TimmsI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 13 November 2001,Official Report, column 607W.
Schools PFI projects are not formally approved until a full Outline Business Case (OBC) has been submitted to the Treasury-chaired Project Review Group. This OBC must include a Public Sector Comparator (PSC) and it is a condition of approval that the proposed PH solution must demonstrate better value for money than the PSC.
268Wsubsidy allowing tuition fee contributions to be deductible against tax would not be appropriate. Nevertheless, we have announced a review of student funding. A wide range of options is being considered and we will be consulting on any proposals that emerge.