Questions about the financial accountability of GP consortia have been raised in the House of Commons.

Two MPs, including the health select committee chairman Stephen Dorrell, questioned ministers over the arrangements for scrutinising the dealings of consortia which will control about £80bn of public funds.

Mr Dorrell wanted to know if consortia would be overseen in the way Monitor oversees foundation trusts to ensure their financial probity.

Minister of state for health Simon Burns said arrangements would not be an exact comparison with Monitor and the foundation trusts, but that consortia would be properly audited to ensure they were spending public money responsibly  

Liberal Democrat Sir Alan Beith raised his concern that as GP practices were private businesses they were not open to the same level of public scrutiny and therefore might escape proper accountability when part of commissioning consortia.

Mr Burns replied that as consortia would have to be constituted as statutory bodies they would be required to prepare publically accessible accounts every year and subject to freedom of information requests.

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