§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the anticipated savings to public funds from the private finance initiative schemes for mental health and community services. [15248]
§ Mr. HuttonI apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002,Official Report, column 192W.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 November 2001, Official Report, columns 411W, and 413W) in which I listed all major private finance initiative contracts which have reached financial close since May 1997 with figures for projected savings on each.
The table includes two mental health and community services schemes: the West Berkshire priority care NHS trust (now Berkshire Healthcare NHS trust) and the Leeds community and mental health services NHS trust.
834WValue for money in private finance is assessed on a case by case basis upon presentation of the full business case. None of the other 60 major and medium sized hospital schemes comprising the NHS plan target have yet to reach this stage so it is not possible to anticipate the savings to public funds for these schemes.
Value for money figures are not held centrally for schemes with a capital value below £20 million.