§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what conclusions he has drawn from the annual reference cost collection exercise about the cost of activity carried out for the NHS(a) by non-NHS service providers and (b) by the NHS. [133717]
§ Mr. HuttonThe 2003 reference cost collection exercise has for the first time included a requirement for the collection of data relating to services provided to national health service patients by the private sector. However, this does not include services commissioned from the voluntary and charitable sectors, and therefore it will not be possible to draw conclusions about the cost of activity carried out for the NHS by non-NHS providers as a whole.
It is currently anticipated that publication of 2003 reference cost data on the Department's web site, and in hard copy, will take place before the end of November. Publication will be accompanied by analysis and commentary similar to that provided in previous years.