§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what announcement he made on the powers in Section 4 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 to establish and support private firms to undertake tasks within the National Health Service, prior to the conclusion of the Second Reading of the Bill in the House of Commons. [28678]
§ Mr. HuttonOn 6 December 2000, in a press notice which accompanied the announcement of the Health and Social Care Bill in the Queen's Speech, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said
Primary care is the first port of call for patients. The biggest hospital building programme in the NHS is already well under way, thanks to the success of the Private Finance Initiative. This Bill will provide for a complementary programme of public private partnership to be invested in primary care services—improving access in the most needy areas of the country".