(11 years, 8 months ago)
Commons Chamber4. What steps his Department is taking to secure an operator for the Great Western rail franchise.
6. What steps his Department is taking to secure an operator for the Great Western rail franchise.
(13 years ago)
Commons Chamber2. What steps he is taking to reduce NHS hospital indebtedness.
14. What steps he is taking to reduce NHS hospital indebtedness.
The national health service is forecasting a surplus for 2011-12, but the previous Government left a legacy of up to six hospital trusts whose private finance initiative payments are a risk to their financial sustainability and up to 24 trusts with such high levels of debt, following years of bail-outs, that they might not meet tests of their future financial sustainability. We are working with all of those to identify their individual needs so that we can help trusts to achieve consistent standards of quality and financial sustainability, and I will make an announcement on that later this year.