HL Deb 21 March 2001 vol 623 cc167-8WA
Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How total public expenditure on health care compares between the United Kingdom and France, in terms of (a) per capita expenditures; and (b) percentage of gross national product. [HL1199]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The following table provides figures for public expenditure on health care in 1999.

Public expenditure on health care—£ per capita Public expenditure on health care as a per capita percentage of GDP
United Kingdom £880 5.9%
France £1,094 7.3%

Notes:

1. The source of the data is the Organisation of Economic Corporation and Development database published in October 2000.

2. The data are presented as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), because comparable data on gross national product are not available.

3. The expenditure for France is converted from US dollars to pounds sterling at an exchange rate of £0.62 to the dollar. This is the exchange rate in the OECD database.

In 2000–01, gross National Health Service expenditure in the United Kingdom is expected to increase to £968 per capita, and 6.1 per cent of GDP. The most recent available data for France are 1999.