§ Mr. Robin CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the amount spent by the National Health Service on staff wages and salaries in each year since 1970 in cash and constant prices.
§ Mr. FreemanInformation derived from annual accounts submitted to the Department for the financial years 1974–75 to 1988–89 is shown in the table:
National Health Service Revenue Expenditure on Salaries and Wages—England £000 (cash) £000 (at 1988–89 prices) 1974–75 1,792,700 7,078,960 1975–76 2,358,604 7,407,007 1976–77 2,691,746 7,458,290 1977–78 2,921,599 7,111,610 1978–79 3,278,452 7,208,890 1979–80 3,992,720 7,517,334 1980–81 5,242,795 8,341,130 1981–82 5,724,522 8,295,462 1982–83 6,079,370 8,216,451 1983–84 6,413,654 8,281,502 1984–85 6,778,435 8,338,085 1985–86 7,149,107 8,345,868 1986–87 7,719,927 8,718,422 1987–88 8,504,072 9,120,617 1988–89 9,601,003 9,601,003 Sources:
Annual accounts of regional and district health authorities', those of the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals and of family practitioner committees (FPCs). (For the earliest years the annual accounts of predecessor authorities e.g. area health authorities which were abolished on 1 April 1982).
Notes:
1. The figures include the total pay costs of the health authorities' directly and indirectly employed staff (agency, etc) and include employers' superannuation and national insurance contributions. Similar costs forming part of the administrative expenses of FPCs are included but payments to doctors, pharmacists and others contracted with the NHS to provide family practitioner services are excluded. Comparatively small salaries and wages costs charged to capital accounts by health authorities are also excluded.
2. The figures for the earlier years have been expressed at 1988–89 prices by use of the Gross Domestic Product deflator.
3. From 1 April 1974 (NHS Reorganisation) the accounts of health authorities included income and expenditure in respect of health services transferred from local government authorities to the NHS. Therefore, information for the years prior to 1974–75 is not comparable to that for more recent years.