Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total value of public service contracts that were awarded by (a) his Department and (b) NHS bodies to voluntary sector organisations in the last year for which figures are available.

The total value of public service contracts awarded by the Department on voluntary sector organisations' contracts in 2012-13 was £39.77 million and for NHS bodies, which is taken to mean primary care trusts (PCTs), the equivalent was £542.76 million.

Prior to their abolition in 2013, the vast majority of healthcare commissioned by the NHS was directly through PCTs, who were responsible for commissioning healthcare from providers based on the needs of their local population.

2013-14 information for both the Department and NHS bodies will not be available until the Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 are published later in the year.