Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many proposals to merge NHS Trusts have been subject to inquiries by the Competition and Markets Authority; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such merger.
Four transactions concerning National Health Service providers have been subject to inquiries by the Competition and Markets Authority. The Department does not hold the information around the cost of such merger inquiries.
The key criterion for the Competition and Markets Authority is ensuring the highest quality services for patients.