Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what basis the deadline of October 2017 has been set for GP surgeries to agree full repairing leases with NHS Property Services.

The Full Repairing and Insuring Lease is a standard, recognised property industry lease and as such is put forward as a starting point in the Standard Lease Agreement agreed between NHS Property Services (NHS PS) and the British Medical Association in 2016.

NHS England has committed to a date of 30 November 2017 by which it will offer certain additional benefits to general practitioner practices which enter into a Lease. These are as follows:

- NHS England will reimburse Stamp Duty Land Tax for an initial term of up to 15 years;

- NHS England will reimburse legal fees for conveyancing up to a maximum of £1,000, plus VAT; and

- NHS England will reimburse the Management Fee for Service Charges for both 2016/17 and 2017/18.

NHS PS is working with all GP practices to facilitate outcomes which work for both parties in all cases, using the framework as outlined by NHS England.