Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2017 to Question 63167, what the (a) maintenance and (b) other associated costs of the 217 vacant properties held by NHS Property Services are.

For the 217 vacant properties held by NHS Property Services (NHSPS):

- The budgeted total cost of maintenance for 2016/17 is £1.5 million; and

- The budgeted total for other associated costs for 2016/17 is £7.9 million.

This is based on the following assumptions:

- Full-year budgeted expenditure, excluding non-cash items such as depreciation and management fees; and

- The full-year budgeted figures do not include the savings achieved by disposing of a vacant property part of the way through the year.

The 217 properties constitute 6.9% of the total NHSPS portfolio.

NHS Property Services is working closely with NHS England and the Department to finalise a ‘Vacant Space Hand Back Scheme’, which is designed to promote efficient use of the health estate and enable commissioners and tenants to save money on their estate costs.