PFI Contracts

Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 2 November 2010.

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Photo of Penny Mordaunt Penny Mordaunt Conservative, Portsmouth North 2:30, 2 November 2010

What advice his Department provides to NHS trusts seeking to renegotiate private finance initiative contracts.

Photo of Simon Burns Simon Burns The Minister of State, Department of Health

This Department and the Treasury provide guidance and advice to NHS schemes to maximise the savings and best value for money they can achieve when making variations to their PFI contracts for additional services or facilities, conducting market testing exercises for support services or when assessing refinancing requests from their private sector partners.

Photo of Penny Mordaunt Penny Mordaunt Conservative, Portsmouth North

What can the Government do to assist the Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth, which is under serious financial pressure because of its PFI contract, a £37 million deficit and, thanks to false planning assumptions, not enough patients to make a super-hospital sustainable?

Photo of Simon Burns Simon Burns The Minister of State, Department of Health

May I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for her assiduous work in her constituency? She represents her constituents and looks after their interests regarding the provision of the highest quality health care. From conversations that I have had with her, I fully appreciate her concerns about the financial situation. I understand that South Central strategic health authority is working closely with the trust as it implements a cost-improvement programme to achieve financial balance.