§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the spending on the National Health Service in England and Wales in each year from 1959 until the present(a) in cash terms and (b) adjusted for retail price inflation;
(2) what was the spending on the National Health Service in England and Wales each year from 1959 until the present, adjusted for inflation in the National Health Service costs in England and Wales.
§ Mr. FreemanThe information requested for the years from 1974–75 to 1989–90 is shown in the table. Comparable information for the period before 1974–75 cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. The retail price index is a measure of increases in cost in a basket of consumer goods and as such has no particular relevance to NHS expenditure.
NHS Gross expenditure—England and Wales £ million (a) Cash1 (b) RPI2 (c) Adjusted for NHS pay and price3 1974–75 3,636 13,721 16,846 1975–76 4,793 14,518 17,309 1976–77 5,466 14,364 17,484 1977–78 6,048 13,950 17,667 1978–79 6,936 14,784 18,253 1979–80 8,237 15,145 18,124 1980–81 10,723 16,953 18,578 1981–82 12,035 17,059 19,130 1982–83 13,131 17,392 19,416 1983–84 13,939 18,650 19,629 1984–85 14,965 18,036 19,881 1985–86 15,838 18,013 20,001 1986–87 17,043 18,772 20,247 1987–88 18,730 19,851 20,622 1988–89 20,833 20,833 20,833 1989–905 22,575 —4 —4 1 The gross expenditure figures shown have been produced by adding Department of Health figures for NHS expenditure in England to figures for Wales produced by the Welsh Office. 2 Figures have been adjusted to 1988–89 prices. The RPI is constructed on a United Kingdom basis, there is no specific England and Wales RPI. 3 No specific deflator is produced for NHS pay and price inflation in England and Wales. The cash figures have therefore been adjusted by a deflator produced by the Department of Health for England only. 4 Estimates of retail price inflation and pay and price rises in the NHS are not produced by the Department of Health until after the financial year has ended. 5 Estimated.