§ Mr. Lewisasked the Minister of Health what was the total cost of the National Health Service in 1950 and at the latest convenient stated date, respectively; and, taking the £ sterling as 128W having a purchasing value of 20s. in 1950, what is the relative purchasing value of the current National Health charge compared with 1950, after allowing for the depreciation of the purchasing value of the £ sterling.
§ Mr. VosperThe total cost of the National Health Service for Great Britain in 1949–50 was about £450 million of which £345 million was met by the Exchequer. The corresponding figures estimated for 1957–58 are about £690 million and £550 million respectively. The equivalent of these latter figures in terms of the purchasing value of the £ in 1949–50 (measured by the estimated change in the Consumer Price Index between 1949–50 and December, 1956) are about £515 million and £410 million.