Tories attack £53bn PFI spend

The NHS will spend £53bn on PFI hospitals when they are only worth £8bn, it has emerged.

The private firms that build and maintain the hospitals for 30 years will be paid £8bn in construction costs with the extra £45bn going on maintenance.

The figures were revealed in a response to a parliamentary question tabled by the Conservative Party. Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the 30-year deals constrained hospitals, making them uncompetitive.

A Department of Health spokesman told the BBC, however, that comparing PFI capital construction value and full-life costs was like comparing "chalk and cheese".

There are 58 PFI hospitals already open and 30 under construction.