Eye Tests (Hansard, 1 March 1991)

§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

There are no plans to change the current policy for free national health service sight 633W tests. We believe it is right that those people who can afford to do so should pay for their optical costs. Provision has been made for the more vulnerable groups in the community, such as children, those in receipt of income support or family credit and people with special medical needs to continue to receive free sight tests under the NHS.

Revenue expenditure on hospital and community health services (HCHS)
	Total salaries and wages expenditure	Total non-pay expenditure
	Review body staff	All other staff
	£000 cash	£000 at 1990–91 prices	£000 cash	£000 at 1990–91 prices	£000 cash	£000 at 1990–91 prices
1978–79	1,745,353	4,410,088	1,533,099	3,873,773	1,143,039	2,888,185
1979–80	2,312,709	5,008,287	1,680,011	3,638,148	1,340,202	2,902,274
1980–81	3,161,777	5,786,336	2,081,018	3,808,450	1,642,636	3,006,172
1981–82	3,466,215	5,785,217	2,258,307	3,769,182	1,905,463	3,180,275
1982–83	3,746,024	5,837,766	2,333,346	3,636,263	2,061,859	3,213,180
1983–84	3,957,260	5,894,616	2,456,394	3,658,971	2,211,703	3,294,486
1984–85	4,227,113	5,992,186	2,551,322	3,616,652	2,356,419	3,340,365
1985–86	4,520,820	6,077,293	2,594,567	3,487,850	2,494,012	3,352,675
1986–87	4,949,899	6,434,077	2,735,157	3,555,266	2,632,110	3,421,322
1987–88	5,556,864	6,849,724	2,911,090	3,588,384	2,808,757	3,462,242
1988–89	6,454,412	7,414,829	3,107,182	3,569,531	2,993,451	3,438,877
1989–90	6,864,179	7,413,313	3,390,776	3,662,038	3,318,422	3,583,896

Source:

Annual accounts of regional and district health authorities in England and those of the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals. (Predecessor authorities for the years prior to 1982–83).

Notes:

1. The figures have been expressed at 1990–91 prices by the use of the gross domestic product deflator.

2. Revenue expenditure on HCHS covers the total revenue expenditure by the health authorities concerned including that on hospital, community health, patient transport (i.e. ambulance), blood transfusion and other services. All capital expenditure and expenditure on family practitioner services is excluded. However, the figures for the years prior to 1 April 1985 include small elements related to the administrative expenses of family practitioner committee (FPCs) which before that date were included in the accounts of the health authorities with which the FPCs were associated and are not separately identifiable.

3. The figures of salaries and wages expenditure are gross costs including employers' superannuation and national insurance contributions. That for "review body staff" for 1978–79 is slightly understated (with a corresponding overstatement of that for "all other staff") as the annual accounts did not provide for the separate identification of salaries and wages costs currently attributed to "professions supplementary to medicine" until 1979–80. The costs of employing all non-national health service (agency, etc.) staff are included with "all other staff".

4. The figures of total non-pay expenditure are essentially for the purchase of goods and services but include some miscellaneous costs (e.g. staff travel and subsistence expenses, student bursaries, patients allowances, etc.).