Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2017 to Question 70182, on Community Health Services: Liverpool, for what reasons (a) Merseycare spent around £313,000 and (b) Bridgewater spent around £550,000 on bids for the Liverpool Community Health contract; for what reasons those figures were not disclosed earlier; what assessment he has made of the integrity of the bidding process in which the successful bid was made outside the process at zero cost; and whether the bidding process represents the best value for money for Liverpool residents.

The bidding, legal and due diligence costs incurred by Merseycare and Bridgewater were not previously available as the two trusts were in the process of finalising their accounts. The figures provided relate to both the Liverpool and Sefton service bundles and Merseycare was successful in being appointed preferred bidder for Sefton.

The bidding process for the Liverpool Community Health contract was detailed in my earlier response on 5 April to Question 69437. No successful bid for the Liverpool Community Health contract has been made outside of this process. Rather, an arrangement has been agreed with the three acute trusts (Alder Hey, Royal Liverpool and Aintree) for a short term management contract led by Alder Hey. This is not a bid for acquisition and therefore due diligence that would be required under an acquisition and which would incur cost was not necessary. Liverpool Community remains a separate statutory organisation.