HC Deb 11 March 2002 vol 381 cc804-5W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Public Service Agreement target for procurement savings by NHS trusts in 2001–02. [14900]

Mr. Hutton

I 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.

All national health service trusts have targets for procurement savings in their procurement strategies. They will all be measured against these targets by the Audit Commission and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency and the results will be made available in April.

Also, trusts have been set targets to increase efficiency across the range of services they provide. This is embodied in the new public service agreement target for value for money that was agreed as part of spending review 2000: The cost of care commissioned from trusts which perform well against indicators of fair access, quality and responsiveness, will become the benchmark for the NHS. Everyone will be expected to reach the level of the best over the next five years, with agreed milestones for 2003–04.

The aim of this new target is to ensure that cost-savings are not at the expense of service quality. The year 2001–02 is the first year covered by this new public service agreement target. We will be monitoring progress against this new target as data become available.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Public Service Agreement target of a reduction in the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20 per cent. by 2010. [14886]

Jacqui Smith

I 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 reply I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 23 October 2001 Official Report, column 147W.