§ Lord Mulleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the total cost to public funds of the recent ambulance strike; what proportion of this sum will have to be met from existing health authority budgets; on what basis is the division of the costs to be made; and why funds voted for hospitals and related purposes are to be used for this purpose.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hooper)Information on the total cost of the ambulance dispute is not held centrally. The total cost of military assistance was £7.2 million. Health authorities are expected to fund a full range of patient services from their HCHS allocations, including ambulance services. Health authorities are responsible for deciding what additional assistance they require during a dispute. The costs of non-military assistance (for example, police, voluntary organisations, and taxis) are met by the health authorities which employ the assistance. These authorities should have off-setting savings from suspension of the normal service. The costs of military assistance, which stem partly from the training and general preparations needed to achieve a state of readiness across the country, are shared between all regional health authorities in proportion to the share of main HCHS allocations.