§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will state, for each regional health authority, the difference between the amount requested and the amount actually spent on capital expenditure, broken down by new building and repair to existing capital stock, for each year from 1979 to date.
§ Mr. Newton[pursuant to his reply, 4 February 1987, c. 696]: Cash allocations to regional health authorities are not made in response to bids.
Since 1979–80 the distribution of total capital resources between regional health authorities has been based on a formula recommended by the Resource Allocation Working Party. The formula uses regions' populations weighted to take account of age and sex distribution and mortality rates, and the value of capital stock in relation to the weighted population as indicators of relative need. From 1991–92 weighted population factors alone will be used.
Regional health authorities have the flexibility to transfer up to one per cent. of their revenue allocations to capital and up to 10 per cent. of the capital allocation to revenue in any one financial year.
Total capital expenditure by each region from 1979–80 to 1985–86 is shown in the table. The annual accounts of health authorities, from which the figures are derived, do not distinguish between expenditure on entirely new buildings and that on the reconstruction, extension or adaptation of existing buildings. Expenditure on building maintenance and on repairs to other capital stock is charged to revenue.