Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value was of grants approved by his Department under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 in each of the last five years; and what assessment his Department has made of the value for money and effectiveness with which funding so awarded has been spent.

Tables were placed in the library which provide information on awards made under Section 64 of the Health and Public Health Act 1968 for the financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15 in response to HL5149 answered on 5^th March 2015.

The Treasury reviews value for money as part of the assessment process for each grant prior to its award. The full assessment includes consideration of the proposal against HM Treasury standard business case criteria which includes a Strategic Case, Economic Case, Financial Case, Commercial Case and Project Governance.

Each grant application is assessed on its own merits and approval is only given where it is expected the grant will provide value for money.

In October 2014 HMT agreed to a deemed consent arrangement for grants under £1,000,000 whereby the Department of Health Director of Group Finance has consent to approve grants up to this value unless they are novel, contentious or repercussive. The Department of Health agreed to provide details of grants approved under this arrangement on a regular basis.

Under this authority Treasury approval can be deemed in respect of grants or loans to Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations where the Department of Health is able to confirm that:

• The grant or loan is affordable with DH’s settlement;

• The grant or loan represents best value for money;

• The grant team has reviewed the case under the normal section 64 business case criteria.