Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2019 Question 4280, whether he has asked the NAO to investigate the circumstances surrounding the demolition of recent construction at the new Royal Liverpool Hospital; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to call an inquiry into the demolition of construction by Carillion at the new Liverpool Royal Hospital; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar
Following the collapse of Carillion, the Government agreed to support the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust’s decision to end its private finance initiative (PFI) deal, and also the Trust’s activities to arrange for the completion of the construction of the new hospital including any required demolition of earlier construction.
The National Audit Office are currently carrying out an investigation with a scope that includes the Government’s response after the collapse of Carillion, the subsequent letting of the new contracts. This report is expected to be published in November 2019.
The Trust have worked with the replacement contractor Laing O’Rourke and external advisers in undertaking a fully costed assessment of all the works needed to complete the new Royal Liverpool hospital. This assessment will be set out in a business case, which the Trust intends to submit to NHS Improvement and the Department for approval soon.
NHS Improvement and the Department are liaising closely with the Trust to ensure that the hospital is completed as soon as is possible.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the reasons why demolitions have recently been carried out at the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust is working closely with Laing O’Rourke and external advisers in undertaking a fully-costed assessment of all the works needed to complete the new Royal Liverpool Hospital. This includes significant works required to fix the structural issues and defective works that have been identified following the termination of the private finance initiative contract in 2018. This assessment will be set out in a business case, which the Trust intends to submit to NHS Improvement and the Department for approval soon. In the meantime, preparation work is already underway by Laing O’Rourke.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will conduct an investigation on the delays in the completion of the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital; and will he make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
Following the collapse of Carillion, the Government agreed to support both the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust’s decision to end its private finance initiative deal, and also the Trust’s activities to arrange for the completion of the construction of the new hospital.
The Trust is currently working closely with the replacement contractor Laing O’Rourke and external advisers in undertaking a fully costed assessment of all the works needed to complete the new Royal Liverpool hospital. This assessment will be set out in a business case, which the trust intends to submit to NHS Improvement and the Department for approval soon. In the meantime, preparation work is already underway by Laing O’Rourke.
NHS Improvement and the Department are liaising closely with the trust to ensure that the hospital is completed as soon as is possible.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to suspend charging of migrants using NHS services and to repeal Section 38 and 39 of the Immigration Act 2014; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Government believes it is only right that people who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom contribute to the costs of National Health Service care they may need whilst visiting or staying here. The Department has no plans to suspend The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations or repeal Section 38 and 39 of the 2014 Immigration Act.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
Executive appointments are made by a committee of the Board of the NHS Trust in accordance with Schedule 4 to the NHS Act 2006 and the National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990. The committee consists of the chair, the non-executive directors and, in the case of an appointment other than the chief executive, the chief executive.
Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has proposed an acquisition of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, which is planned to take place on 1 October 2019. The chief executive of The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust is due to leave the post at the end of March 2019 and the Trust is currently undertaking a recruitment process for an interim chief executive for a period of six months from 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2019.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
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.
Answered by Steve Barclay
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.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for a new contractor to be appointed to complete the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital following the liquidation of Carillion.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The Government remains absolutely committed to getting the new Royal Liverpool Hospital built as quickly as possible and officials are working closely with the existing lenders and the Trust to achieve this. There is a key milestone on 30 September, the longstop date set in the existing Private Finance Initiative contact for the completed hospital to be handed over to the Trust. This milestone is not now going to be met.
Once this date has passed the Trust has the option of declaring that the project is in default, which would be followed by the contract being terminated. The Government has indicated to the Trust that it will support them in whatever next steps they need to take, be it termination or some other option, to ensure the project is not delayed further. The timetable for opening the hospital will be an important factor in deciding on the best route forward and we are working towards achieving a decision on this by the end of September.
To date, significant concerns have been identified with work carried out by Carillion, and the investigation of this has resulted in delays.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the appointment of a new contractor to complete the building of the new Royal Liverpool Hospital; and will he make a statement.
Answered by Steve Barclay
As stated in the answer I gave to Question 158172, officials from the Department of Health and Social Care are working closely on this matter with those from Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to ensure that the hospital can be completed as quickly as is possible.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) officials of his Department on the completion of the construction of Royal Liverpool University Hospital since the collapse of Carillion; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Barclay
Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care are working closely on this matter with those from Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and of course with relevant senior staff of the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure that the hospital can be completed as quickly as is possible. As is to be expected with a situation like this, meetings and discussions are also taking place with representatives from the Private Finance Initiative Project Company (The Hospital Company (Liverpool) Holdings Limited) on a very frequent basis.