§ Baroness Noakesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 27 January (WA 133), whether the Department of Health holds copies of the annual audited accounts of National Health Service trusts for 2001–02 and (a) if so, why they will not place copies in the Library of the House; or (b) if not, how the Department of Health prepares summarised accounts of the National Health Service in accordance with Section 98 of the National Health Service Act 1977. [HL1443]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe Department of Health does not routinely hold printed or electronic copies of audited annual accounts of National Health Service trusts.
The department receives electronic submissions of audited summarisation schedules from all trusts, which are loaded in a database and used to prepare the summarised accounts.
Annual accounts can be obtained directly from trusts, and, as it would entail the production of approximately 14,000 pages, it is not in tended to place copies in the Library.