(2) how many (a) private finance initiative, (b) public capital project and (c) local improvement finance trust schemes were in operation at the latest date for which figures are available; how many such schemes were subject to delays; and for how long the completion date of each such scheme has been put back;
(3) what capital expenditure his Department is planning to bring forward;
(4) what he expects the capital budget for the NHS to be in 2009-10; and what proportion of it he expects to be underspent.
Under this Government 76 private finance initiative funded schemes (with capital value over £10 million); 225 public capital projects over £1 million using the Procure 21 Framework agreement have opened; and 196 local improvement finance trust facilities have opened. Detailed records on schemes below these capital cost thresholds and other public capital funded schemes are not held centrally. Information on delays which occurred on these schemes and the impact on their project timetables is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Government announced in their pre-Budget report (24 November 2008) that as part of the £3 billion fiscal stimulus package the Department would bring forward £100 million of capital spending to advance the upgrading of up to 600 general practitioner surgeries to advanced training practices. This spending is being brought forward from financial year 2010-11 to 2009-10.
The Department will have £5.6 billion of public capital resources in 2009-10. This funding is fully committed albeit based on plans that are still being finalised.
The 2008-09 capital departmental expenditure limit for the Department is £4.7 billion. This funding is fully committed against national and local national health service capital spending programmes. The latest forecast outturn suggests that the great majority of available capital resources will be spent in 2008-09.