§ Dr. Evan HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 26 February 2003,Official Report, column 620W, on Charge Income, if he will break down the forecast increase received from each type of charge in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06. [104871]
§ Mr. HuttonThe forecasts for charge income provided in my answer of 26 February 2003,Official Report, column 620W, were calculated by assuming that total charge income in 2002–03 of £923 million would grow in line with inflation. They were not built up from estimates of the individual charge elements which, in practice, will be subject to a number of factors, including future decisions on charge levels and volume trends in the services in question, some of which are demand led. The forecasts are subject to regular review and revision and we now have more details about forecasts for 686W 2003–04, which take account of new prescription charges as of 1 April 2003, announced on 10 March. These are shown in the table. We do not have a breakdown of the charges for 2004–05 and 2005–06.
Forecasts for charge income 2003–04 £ million Dental Charge income1 499 Prescription charges income 446 Welfare food sales of subsidised dried milk2 2 NHS Pensions Agency data on review of pension mis-selling2 1 Total 948 1 Includes an estimated £90 million of charge income which may be generated within Personal Dental Service pilot, dependant upon the scale of new pilots to be approved. 2 2002–03 forecasts uplifted by the December 2002 GDP deflator of 2.25 per cent.