Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2020 to Question 12197 on Mount Vernon Hospital Northwood and Northwick Park Hospital: Radiotherapy, what the cost to the public purse will be of replacing each linear accelerator that is due to be replaced in 2020; whether his Department has allocated funding for those replacements; and if he will make a statement.

The replacement of Linear Accelerators is the responsibility of the providers and should form part of their capital programmes. Costs per Linear Accelerator vary depending on the machine required and the price sourced by the National Health Service supply chain framework, and also on the works necessary to carry out the replacement. A typical replacement machine costs from £1.5 million.

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust has not yet agreed its capital programme for 2020/21 but has identified a requirement for £2.5 million capital funds which the Board will consider along with other capital priorities when it agrees how to spend its capital budget.