Bankrupt hospital - part II

My discovery that North Bristol Trust is £100m in the red has created something of a stir! BBC Points West asked the Department of Health for a response last night, and they said they had "no current plans" to write off any of the debt, although North Bristol Trust are clearly hoping for a different outcome. What is extraordinary is that the Government is actually not telling NHS Trusts whether or not it will write off any of this historic debt - which makes it impossible for them to plan for the long term. In particular, how can you judge whether or not to enter into a long-term PFI contract to build a new hospital if you don't know whether or not you will have to service a £100m debt?! I will be pressing for a swift resolution to this issue, and for a serious write-off, conditional on assurances that NBT have now got their finances in order.