asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether money was taken from or put into the budgets of Suffolk primary care trusts in the last financial year to balance the financial position of the National Health Service across the east of England; and, if so, how much money was taken or received; and [HL3318]

Whether money was taken from or put into the budgets of Norfolk primary care trusts in the last financial year to balance the financial position of the National Health Service across the east of England; and, if so, how much money was taken or received; and [HL3319]

Whether money was taken from or put into the budgets of Bedfordshire primary care trusts in the last financial year to balance the financial position of the National Health Service across the east of England; and, if so, how much money was taken or received; and [HL3320]

Whether money was taken from or put into the budgets of Hertfordshire primary care trusts in the last financial year to balance the financial position of the National Health Service across the east of England; and, if so, how much money was taken or received; and [HL3321]

Whether money was taken from or put into the budgets of Cambridgeshire primary care trusts in the last financial year to balance the financial position of the National Health Service across the east of England; and, if so, how much money was taken or received. [HL3322]

A table showing primary care trust (PCT) top-slice forecast outturn, baseline allocation and percentage of top-slice allocation at quarter three, 2006-07, was made available in the Library in a written response to the honourable Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Phil Willis) on 19 March 2007 (Official Report, col. 737W).

Returning the National Health Service to overall financial balance has been a key priority in 2006-07. As part of the strategy to achieve this, strategic health authorities (SHAs) have top-sliced resource allocations made to their PCTs, thereby creating SHA reserves.

We have asked SHAs to make sure that, as far as possible, PCTs with the greatest health need are the first to be repaid. However, any repayment is dependent on affordability within the SHA economy, and is inextricably linked to the speed and stability of financial recovery in the NHS as a whole.