§ Mr. Hal Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is her estimate of the total cost of the reorganisation of the National Health Service with a specific figure for the totals of redundancy payments to health service employees and payments of pensions to those who have been subsequently re-employed in other health authorities.
§ Dr. OwenReorganisation costs met centrally up to 1974–75 were £8 million approximately. Some further costs of 361W approximately £1 million are expected in 1975–76. Any other reorganisation costs have been met by health authorities out of their normal allocations, and are not at present identified separately. I am, however, having detailed costings prepared of the cost of the reorganisation of the National Health Service. We shall also be studying all possible ways of making economies in the cost of running the reorganised service.
Details of retired staff subsequently reemployed by other health authorities are not available. In such cases, however, retirement pension is restricted so that when added to salary the individual's pre-retirement remuneration is not thereby exceeded.