24. Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the impact of changes in the level of expenditure in respect of the Northern Ireland health budget in the current financial year. [35408]
§ Mr. MossThe Government's expenditure on health and personal social services in Northern Ireland in 1996–97 will increase by £54 million. This is a real-terms increase of 0.2 per cent. on estimated expenditure for 1995–96. In order to meet a range of pressures facing services, including a rising drugs bill and increases in emergency admissions to hospital, and to finance a small number of high priority service developments, spending on existing services has been reduced by 3 per cent. Half of this is being met by securing greater efficiency, including reductions in management costs, and half by selected reductions in services, principally non-urgent admissions to hospital and some elements of community services.