§ Dr. D. Johnsonasked the Minister of Health the estimated cost of the nationalised hospital service prior to the introduction of the National Health Service Act, 1946; what was its cost in the first complete year of the working of the Act; and the cost in the latest available year.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithComplete information about the revenue expenditure on hospitals in England and Wales before the introduction of the National Health Service is not available; an approximate estimate, based on such information as is available, of the cost shortly before 1948 is that it may have been of the order of £110–£120 million per annum. Capital expenditure is not known but, as it was affected by post-war restrictions, it was not large.
The actual expenditure in the years 1949–50 and 1956–57 was:—
— Revenue Capital £m. £m. 1949–50 … … 189.3 8.7 1956–57 … … 320.2 14.2