§ 23. Mr. SutcliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS budget was spent on administration in(a) 1989 and (b) at the latest available date. [5632]
§ Mr. MaloneThe information is provided in the table. Changes over the years in the roles and responsibilities of family health service authorities, district health authorities and regional health authorities, and the transfer of funds to national health service trusts, mean that the figures are not comparable.
Administration costs as a percentage of NHS total gross spend Administration Expenditure £ million NHS total revenue expenditure £ million Percentage of NHS total gross spend on administration 1989–90 731 18,276 4.0 1995–96 1,303 32,232 4.0 1. Administration expenditure is made up of the administration costs of district health authorities, regional health authorities, family health service authorities, special health authorities, prescription pricing authority, dental practice board.
2. The figures for 1995–96 are provisional.
§ 24. Mr. Tim SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to improve the efficiency of the administration of the NHS. [5633]
§ Mr. MaloneThere is a drive to improve efficiency in the national health service through reductions in health authority costs and trust management costs, abolishing the regional health authorities and streamlining the Department of Health. Actions taken by the end of 1997 will release some £300 million from NHS administration costs into direct patient care.