§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each year since 1990 the expenditure on gross redundancy payments for each health authority and national health service trust in England.
§ Dr. Mawhinney[holding answer 29 March 1994]Figures for redundancy payments for trusts are available only for 1991–92 and 1992–93. The information is shown in tables that will be placed in the Library. It should be noted that the figures for 1992–93 are only provisional and have not yet been validated. They are, therefore, not wholly reliable.
The closure of psychiatric hospitals in connection with the "Care in the Community" programme and management restructuring throughout the national health service, as a result of the national health service reforms, are the main reasons for the increase in redundancy payments. This has delivered valuable savings and led to greater efficiency in the NHS, resulting in greater numbers of in-patient admissions.