Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many general practitioners’ surgeries are owned by the doctor or doctors concerned; for how many of those the National Health Service funds part or all of any mortgage payments; and whether any recovery of such funds is made when the doctors retire or when the premises are sold.

Information is not held centrally on the number of general practitioners’ surgeries that are owned by the doctor or doctors concerned.

The National Health Service (General Medical Services – Premises Costs) Directions 2013 provide that where a contractor incurs borrowing costs as a result of purchasing practice premises, they may apply to NHS England for reimbursement of these costs. The contractor is reimbursed only for the interest charged, not the capital repayment. Alternatively, the contractor may apply to receive a notional rent payment in lieu of reimbursement of mortgage costs, equivalent to the current market rental value. This is the amount that may be claimed by practices who lease their premises from a third party landlord. No recovery of such funds is made.