Mr. Sadiq Khan:
I endorse what the hon. Lady said. I was taken aback by the comments of the director of Kensington and Chelsea primary care trust in the report about lack of leadership and management control.
May I tell the hon. Lady about St. George’s hospital in Tooting? Until 2003-04, whenever it overspent, it would simply get extra money from the strategic health authority. In 2003-04, it was given £15 million as a non-recurrent payment to bail it out of its overspend. Since then, it has reduced a budget deficit of £21 million to £4.4 million this year. Next year, the deficit will be nil, and there may even be a surplus, so will the hon. Lady join me in welcoming the Government’s attempts to ensure that trusts work within their budget rather than overspending and being frivolous in their expenditure?
