§ 18. Mr. McNultyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his public expenditure plans for the NHS for the next three years. [61764]
§ Mr. ByersIn the Comprehensive Spending Review on 14 July 1998,Official Report, columns 187–211, we announced an extra £21 billion for health in the UK for the next three years.
This is the biggest cash increase in the history of the NHS and, combined with our programme of reform, will provide the stable funding base needed to deliver the Government's commitment to modernise the NHS.
Coupled with the £250 million for the UK this year, which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the House on 3 November 1998, Official Report, column 688, of which £209 million is for England, this means health spending in England will rise by 3.8 per cent. a year over the lifetime of this Parliament. Figures for other countries of the United Kingdom are a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland.