To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department requires primary care trusts to consult (a) existing acute hospitals, (b) county council overview and scrutiny committees, (c) GPs, (d) patients and (e) other representatives of the health community prior to tendering taking place for independent sector treatment centres; (152690)

Procurement of the national Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTC) programme is being conducted in compliance with European Union procurement law. There was no bar on any organisation expressing an interest in the notice placed in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) in 2005 in relation to the national Phase 2 ISTC programme procurement. There is a robust process to ensure there is local support and a capacity need for each individual elective ISTC.

With regard to consultation, primary care trusts are expected to comply with their legal obligations under the Health and Social Care Act 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effects of independent sector treatment centres on NHS staff training and development. (152695)

Independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) will provide new training opportunities for staff. The long-term aim is for ISTCs to both source and employ professionals and support staff, while retaining opportunities for national health service employees to have access to employment and secondment opportunities to further develop their skills and experience.