Private Health Care Sector

Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 25 February 2014.

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Photo of Ian Lavery Ian Lavery Labour, Wansbeck 11:30, 25 February 2014

What recent meetings he has had with representatives of the private health care sector.

Photo of Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt The Secretary of State for Health

In the past three months, I have had two meetings with private sector health care providers, both in China, helping them to win export orders. In the same period, I have had 20 meetings with traditional NHS providers.

Photo of Ian Lavery Ian Lavery Labour, Wansbeck

Private health companies with strong links to the Conservative party have been awarded contracts to run NHS services worth about £1.5 billion, which surely raises serious questions about the level of influence of Conservative donors on health policy. In the interests of transparency, will the Secretary of State commit to publishing a list of private health care companies that have made donations to the Conservative party?

Photo of Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt The Secretary of State for Health

The difference between donors to the Conservative party and donors to the Labour party is that our donors do not write our policies. While we are talking about private sector health care providers, I remind the hon. Gentleman what an unnamed shadow Cabinet Minister told The Independent last week:

“We all remember when Andy was Health Secretary and happily contracting out bits of the NHS to the private sector… You have to ask yourself what’s changed.”

Photo of Steven Baker Steven Baker Conservative, Wycombe

The NHS diagnostic centre in Wycombe, which is operated by the private sector, does a fantastic job. Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating and thanking Opposition Members for all that they did to extend private and independent provision in the NHS?

Photo of Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt The Secretary of State for Health

I am happy to do that. My hon. Friend may be interested to know that in the last four years of the last Government, private sector contracts in the NHS doubled—something that this Government have not been able to match. It is important to look at the facts before we start any hares running with respect to privatisation.