§ Mr. Moyleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) by what percentage the planned increase in public expenditure on the health and personal social services is expected to exceed the planned expenditure on the health and social services for 1979–80; and what allowance he is making for inflation for 1980–81; (2) by what percentage the planned increase in public expenditure on the National Health Service for the year 1980–81 is expected to exceed the planned expenditure of the National Health Service for 1979–80; and what allowance he is making for inflation for 1980–81.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinOn the basis of the recently published White Paper, Cmnd. 7746, the planned volume of gross expenditure in Great Britain in 1980–81 on the National Health Service—including services financed centrally—is 0.8 per cent. higher than that planned for 1979–80 in the previous White Paper, Cmnd. 7439, and 3 per cent. higher than the outturn for 1979–80 estimated in Cmnd. 7746.
Expenditure on health and personal social services as a whole depends on what local authorities decide to spend on personal social services but, on the tentative estimate in Cmnd 7746, the planned volume of gross expenditure in 1980–81 on health and personal social services in Great Britain is 0.4 per cent. lower than that planned for 1979–80 in Cmnd. 7439, and 1.4 per cent. higher than the estimated outturn. Decisions have yet to be taken on the allowance to be made for inflation in setting the cash limits for 1980 and 1981.