§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of procedures contracted out by the NHS to the public sector in the last 12 months. [146304]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department does not hold centrally information on the cost of procedures contracted out by the national health service to the private sector in the last 12 months. The exception is the independent sector treatment centre programme. One centre is already open at Daventry, and we estimate that, to date, contracted out procedures at Daventry will amount to approximately £1,096,800.