§ Mr. LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the additional costs to ambulances and other medical vehicles in West Sussex resulting from fuel duty increases in the Budget; [77914]
(2) what provisions he has made to compensate health authorities for the additional costs resulting from fuel duty increases in the Budget; [77915]
(3) what estimates he has made of the additional costs to ambulances and other medical vehicles resulting from fuel duty increases in the Budget. [77913]
§ Mr. HuttonIn 1996–97, the last year for which information is available, the cost of motor fuels as a proportion of total hospital and community health service spending, which includes ambulance trusts, was 0.12 per cent. The additional cost resulting from the Budget increase would have raised that figure to less than 0.13 per cent. Because of boundary factors it is6W not possible separately to identify figures for West Sussex. It is, however, clear that the effect of the increase will be very small relative to the other price inflation factors affecting the National Health Service each year. Any additional costs will be absorbed within the very significant real-terms increases in health authority allocations for 1999–2000 announced in November 1998.