Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Simon Burns and Lord Field of Birkenhead

Tuesday 10th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Frank Field (Birkenhead) (Lab)]

13. What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of NHS reorganisation in (a) Birkenhead constituency and (b) England.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr Simon Burns)]

The cost of the NHS modernisation is estimated to be between £1.2 billion and £1.3 billion. That will save £4.5 billion over this Parliament, and a further £1.5 billion each year thereafter. [Hon. Members: “It is a different question.”] It is the same question. We do not have a local breakdown of these figures, as that will depend on local decisions.

[Mr Field]

Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will ask the House of Commons Library for the answer so that he can give it to me next time, and also look at the increase in the number of managers in Wirral over the past five years. The number has gone up by more than a quarter. With that size increase, why are those staff not being used to pilot his reorganisation?

[Mr Burns]

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. There was a significant increase in managers in the NHS in the last two or three years of his Government. Since we came to power, there are just under 15,000 fewer managers and administrators, and 3,700 extra doctors.