§ 4. Mr. FabricantTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the per capita expenditure on health care in Scotland; and what analysis he has made of similar per capita costs in comparable parts of the EC.
§ Mr. StewartNet per capita NHS spending in Scotland was £717 per head in 1992–93. I have not made a detailed analysis of expenditure per capita on health care in other European Community countries.
§ Mr. FabricantI am disappointed that my hon. Friend was not able to produce figures for a comparison with other EC countries, but has he obtained figures for a comparison with at least England and Wales? It seems that the Opposition are always saying that Scotland gets a raw deal. Is that so?
§ Mr. StewartI can certainly give my hon. Friend the figures for other parts of the United Kingdom. Net per capita NHS spending is £717 in Scotland, £578 in England, £660 in Wales and £648 in Northern Ireland, which shows that, by any standards, the NHS in Scotland is extremely well funded.
§ Mr. GrahamIs the Minister aware that, despite that per capita rate in Scotland, a constituent of mine who attends the Paisley trust hospital must wait until 21 March for an appointment to see a urologist? That poor man, who is 78, must wait four and a half months, although he cannot walk 100 yd without going to the toilet. is the hon. Gentleman happy with that situation? He would not like it if it were his father.
§ Mr. StewartI shall answer. The health board contracted for 650 patients, but the trust expects to treat 740. That shows, first, that the hon. Gentleman's concerns are more than being met and, secondly, that the establishment of NHS trusts works in practice for the ordinary people to whom he referred.