§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the administration of each regional health authority cost in the last four years and in 1978, adjusted to 1993 prices.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe information available is shown in the table. The figures for 1989–90 and 1990–91 are not directly comparable with the figures for 1991–92 and 1992–93 because of the introduction of capital charges and other changes to accounting procedures. Simple comparisons between authorities are misleading because regional health authorities devolved their non-core functions at varying times and bore different costs on their regional budgets. Administration expenditure figures are not held for individual health authorities in 1978.
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Administration costs for Regional Health Authorities 1989–90–1992–93 at 1993 prices Region 1989–90 £000s 1990–91 £000s 1991–92 £000s 1992–93 £000s Northern 8,919 10,300 19,433 21,517 Yorkshire 12,774 14,528 67,010 44,751 Trent 13,718 13.026 18,867 21,227 East Anglian 9,712 12,614 8,310 9,595 North West Thames 10,880 13,371 20,334 32,126 North East Thames 15,588 16,931 33,096 21,720 South East Thames 17,949 18,235 17,153 19,142 South West Thames 16,370 16,820 13,638 16,625 Wessex 7,450 9,472 20,741 23,493 Oxford 5,612 6,918 27,768 29,210 South Western 9,545 11,655 16,143 16,773 West Midlands 21,499 30,201 23,196 26,306 Mersey 7,211 6,996 24,881 28,409 North Western 14,742 15,054 13,450 16,454 Source Annual accounts of regional health authorities.
Notes:
1. The table shows expenditure adjusted to 1992–93 prices by use of the Gross Domestic Product deflator.
2. The figures represent expenditure on pay and accommodation costs of the staff at Regional Health Authority headquarters and exclude costs of emergency bed service, planning and setting up NHS Trusts, grants not related to purchase of health care, education and training, expenditure on Community Health Councils. They do not include the costs of purchasing healthcare.
3. The figures for the years vary between RHAs as regions were managed in an integrated way and the balance of management between RHAs and their respective district health authorities (DHAs) differed between regions. The figures were also affected by other factors including differences in the geographical size of regions and in the extent to which RHAs directly managed operational services. Following implementation of the NHS Reforms from April 1991, the role of RHAs changed. There were significant variations in the extent to which RHAs retained or devolved management, support and operational services functions and in the extent to which their costs are borne or recharged to users directly involved in the purchaser function.
4. The figures for 1992–93 are provisional.