§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what cash releasing efficiency savings NHS trusts and primary care trusts are required to achieve in 2002–03. [56288]
§ Mr. HuttonThe target for efficiency savings in the National Health Service in 2002–03 is 2 per cent.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the cash releasing efficiency savings achieved by(a) NHS trusts and (b) other NHS bodies, (i) in monetary terms and (ii) expressed as a percentage of the annual expenditure of those bodies on the basis of the information currently available to his Department in respect of 2001–01. [56289]
§ Mr. HuttonAllocations to health authorities are based on an overall assessment of the resources required to cover inflationary pressures and deliver national targets. Allocations to health authorities 2001–02 were made net of 2 per cent. efficiency savings (equivalent to around £800 million). This means that health authorities needed to achieve the efficiency target to fully fund delivery of national targets and inflation. It is not possible to separately identify the savings made by national health service trusts.