Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of business rates to be paid by NHS hospitals in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

There has been no such assessment.

National Health Service properties, like almost all other buildings occupied by public bodies, have been subject to non-domestic rates since they were introduced. The independent Valuation Office Agency is responsible for valuations and setting rateable values for business, each NHS organisation is responsible for ensuring their current rating assessments and can challenge them if they believe they are incorrect.

The Government introduced a £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme which provides support for those properties which face an increase in rates as a result of the 2017 revaluation, and applies equally to public bodies such as the NHS.