§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected average time is from conception to completion for a National Health Service Private Finance Initiative project; and if he will make a statement. [61671]
§ Mr. HuttonThere is no prescribed timescale set by the Department for schemes to progress through the stages up to advertising a project in the Official Journal of the European Commission (OJEC). The length of time taken to produce the outline business case, undertake necessary consultations and obtain outline planning permission will depend upon circumstances specific to each scheme.
The current indicative timetable from OJEC to financial close to eighteen months for major schemes; since March 2002 new initiatives have been introduced to further enhance the procurement process and ensure that the National Health Service obtains the best value from the current market and these aim to reduce this period.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many National Health Service Private Finance Initiative projects(a) have been, (b) are and (c) are projected to he behind their initial completion date; what the (i) projected start date, (ii) actual start date, (iii) projected completion date and (iv) actual completion date is in each case; and if he will make a statement. [61669]
§ Mr. HuttonIndicative timetables are set for all schemes as part of good project management. Complex schemes experience difficulties for a variety of good reasons; these have their timetables revised as appropriate.
Firm completion dates (for example when the hospital is open) are only set once contracts are signed for private finance initiative (PFI) schemes. The private sector suffers penalties if the completion date is not met. To date, all major PFI schemes have been opened on or ahead of their planned completion target date.