Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on NHS Property Services of NHS Trusts setting up wholly owned subsidiary companies to manage their estates and property.

National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts occupy about a third of NHS Property Services’ estate as tenants. The Company provides facilities management and other estates services to these properties; the trusts provide elements of these services to NHS Property Services themselves in many cases and these may be delivered through Wholly Owned Subsidiary Companies in areas where these have been established. It is for individual NHS trusts to decide on the best contracting model for the delivery of these services.