Davey makes early capital bid for Surbiton Hospital

17.07.06

Speaking in the House of Commons on the 6th July after the announcement of a new capital fund for modernising community hospitals, Kingston and Surbiton's Liberal Democrat MP, Edward Davey quizzed the Secretary of State for Health and made an early bid for investment cash to rebuild Surbiton Hospital. Edward Davey asked whether the Minister would look again at NHS capital rules which prevent PCTs like Kingston using their own assets to part fund their local projects.

Commenting afterwards, he said:

'This was the first opportunity to start pressing Surbiton Hospital's case for a share of this new £750 million fund and while it is extremely early, I wanted to seize it.

'I will now be pressing our local NHS to move as quickly as possible to finalise their plans for a new Surbiton Hospital.

'It is however ludicrous that we are not able to use our own assets more effectively, because the dead hand of the Treasury demands they get  most of the proceeds of any local sale of any surplus land or building.

'In Surbiton we have a number of NHS administrative buildings that could be sold off to generate part of the funds we need to rebuild our hospital and provide new and better health services on the existing Surbiton Hospital site. We should have that freedom to move fast ourselves and not be restricted to bids to central funds alone.'