To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will conduct an audit of the cost of residual value payments which may be made to providers of independent sector treatment centres (ISTC) projects contracted under the (a) first and (b) second wave of the ISTC programme. (290308)

No. There is a duty to make a residual value payment at contract expiry where the requirement exists under the terms of an independent sector treatment centres contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to primary care trusts on the commissioning of services from independent sector treatment centres. (290309)

The Department has not issued primary care trusts (PCTs) with guidance on the commissioning of services from independent sector treatment centres. It is for PCTs to determine their commissioning requirements.

The Department has requested that PCTs review their capacity requirements and has provided guidance to support the competitive procurement of treatment centre services. PCTs will review contracts on a case-by-case basis and commission new services where capacity is required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS tariff is for procedures undertaken in independent sector treatment centres. (290310)

The national health service tariff does not apply to procedures undertaken in Wave One and Phase Two Independent Sector Treatment Centres. Providers are paid for services according to the terms and conditions of their contracts. Future contracts to provide services from treatment centres will be paid at the NHS tariff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the management of the expiry of the contracts of phase one independent sector treatment centres. (290348)

Contracts for the centrally procured wave one independent sector treatment centres are scheduled to end from 2010. Each contract will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and new services will be commissioned where local commissioners determine that capacity is required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the costs likely to be incurred by his Department in relation to its contractual obligations under phase one of the independent sector treatment centre programme after the expiry of phase one contracts. (290516)

The total potential expiry cost (including residual value) for wave one independent sector treatment centres is approximately £200 million.