§ Mr. GalbraithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the projected percentage increases in health expenditure for 1988–89 and 1989–90 as corrected for the gross domestic product deflator.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythProvision for the NHS in Scotland in 1988–89 is some £2,451 million. This represents an increase over the provisional outturn for 1987–88 of 0.5 per cent. after allowing for forecast GDP inflation. In 1989–90 expenditure is planned to rise to around £2,560 million, an increase of 0.6 per cent. over and above forecast GDP inflation for that year.
These figures do not take into account the additional £92 million allocated to the health programme in Scotland, as a result of the Government's acceptance of the NHS pay review bodies' recommendations. This will raise the increase for 1988–89 over forecast GDP inflation from 0.5 per cent. to 4.2 per cent.