Leicestershire Health Authority

HC Deb 31 January 1984 vol 53 cc126-7

6. Mr. Latham

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest position regarding the allocation of financial resources to the Leicestershire health authority.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Regional health authorities have been informed of their revenue and capital allocations for 1984–85. In continuation of our policy of distributing health resources more fairly throughout the country, the Trent region will receive real growth of 1.6 per cent. as against the national average of 1 per cent. It is for the Trent regional health authority to decide on the allocation of these resources to its district health authorities, including Leicestershire.

Mr. Latham

Is my right hon. and learned Friend aware that although Leicestershire will probably have an extremely welcome increase of about 2 per cent. in real terms in the next financial year, it is still stuck on 93 per cent. of national resources for its funding? Will he continue to press ahead with the RAWP formula to redistribute resources to under-funded areas such as Leicestershire?

Mr. Clarke

Both my hon. Friend's statements are correct. As he said, his district is stuck at 7 per cent. below the RAWP target. It was 17 per cent. below that target when the Labour party handed over the NHS to this Government's care. We shall continue our policy of improving the distribution of resources.

Mr. Dobson

Does the Minister accept that in the current year the Leicestershire district health authority has had to make cuts of more than £1 million in its intended expenditure? What does he think the allocation is likely to do for the almost 7,000 on hospital waiting lists in the Leicestershire district?

Mr. Clarke

The hon. Gentleman is talking about the July adjustment and ignoring the fact that Leicestershire was given growth money before that and that it has continued to have growth money throughout the Government's period of office. The effect of that has been to bring it nearer to the national target. The manpower targets exercise gave Leicestershire an increase in staff of 102, and the authority is well on course to opening the new Glenfield hospital this year. If the hon. Gentleman is trying to take Leicestershire as an example in his completely misleading campaign about so-called Health Service cuts, he has chosen an especially bad example.