§ Mr. Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated total revenue per year which will be lost to the National Health Service as a result of the decision to phase out pay beds in National Health Service hospitals; and how much of that total sum is estimated to be from patients who are not normally resident in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. CastleI made clear during the debate on pay beds on 5th May 1975—[Vol. 891, c. 1100]—that the appropriate funds will be made available so that the revenue allocations of health authorities are not affected as a consequence of phasing out pay beds from NHS hospitals. It is not possible to give a precise estimate since the loss of revenue in any particular year will depend on the extent of demand from private patients, the rate at which pay beds are phased out and the extent to which the facilities thus released are made available to ordinary NHS patients.
The income from in-patients for private accommodation and treatment in NHS hospitals in England in 1974–75 is provisionally put at £15 million as shown in the reply my hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Cordle) on 20th January—[Vol. 903, c. 437]—but I regret that I have no information about the proportion derived from patients not ordinarily resident in this country.