Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for (a) the restart of construction the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital and (b) the completion of the hospital; and if he make a statement.

The Department and NHS Improvement are working with the Trust to conclude discussions and agree final terms with funders for a managed termination of the current contract. This agreement will enable the Trust to continue working with the existing main construction contractors on site to minimise any further delay and complete the hospital as soon as possible.

Subject to legal agreements being reached as part of this process, construction work could restart as early as November. If this is the case, we would expect the new Royal Liverpool to be completed in 2020.