Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to give priority to a public sector consortium to develop the Bootham Park Hospital site.

All proposals, including any from public sector organisations, will be evaluated as part of the marketing process. However, the owner of the site, NHS Property Services, has a duty in accordance with requirements set out in HM Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money to achieve the best value for the site and is currently actively marketing the property with the benefit of planning permission for conversion to a residential care home following the withdrawal of the previous purchasers. This planning permission also includes important safeguards to allow the local community to continue to access the site.