Dr. Tony WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost of implementing the Acheson report on Inequalities in Health. [67605]
§ Ms JowellI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 18 January 1999,Official Report, column 378.
The terms of reference of the independent inquiry into inequalities in health (the Acheson report) required the review to be conducted within the broad framework of the Government's overall financial strategy. The whole 575W Government are firmly committed to reducing health inequalities. A range of initiatives is already helping to carry forward Sir Donald Acheson's recommendations. Modernising the health service and ensuring fair access to services is a vital component of that effort—backed up with a £21 billion boost over the next three years.