To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ring-fence funding for the cost rent scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Cash-limited allocations made by regional health authorities to family health services authorities (FHSAs) cover spending on general practitioner premises, practice staff and practice computers. How allocations are spent between these three headings is a matter for FHSAs in the light of local needs and priorities. There are no plans to ring-fence funds for cost rent schemes within these allocations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on cost rent schemes to improve general practitioners' surgeries in each of the last five years in (a) Waltham Forest, (b) London and (c) nationally.

The information requested is shown in the table for the last two years. Records of individual cost rent expenditure prior to 1989–90 are unavailable.