Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Steve Brine and Richard Burden

Tuesday 10th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield) (Lab)]

12. What progress has been made on the Bournville gardens health and community medical centre project in Birmingham.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Steve Brine)]

The building of the new health and wellbeing centre is supported by NHS England for funding in principle through the estates and technology transformation fund, subject to due diligence checks including a value for money exercise.

[Richard Burden]

That is fine, but is it not the case that although approval was given by the NHS technology and transformation fund last autumn, NHS England has spent the past 18 months negotiating new procedures for the premises cost directions? The delays in those procedures are jeopardising things such as that health and wellbeing centre. Is it not time that Ministers stepped in to ensure that projects on which everyone agrees can be approved under existing regulations and should not have to wait for the renegotiations?

[Steve Brine]

The hon. Gentleman is right that NHS England has been negotiating changes to the premises cost directions, which govern how we manage premises costs for general practitioners, but that is not the reason for the delay. We are working through the detail of the content of the scheme and it is not yet at the point of seeking approval. At the end of the day, this is public money and I think that the hon. Gentleman and everybody in this House would expect me to make sure that things are done properly.