§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action she proposes to take to improve facilities and treatment in the National Health Service particularly in areas of need such as South Yorkshire.
§ Dr. David OwenI am considering the extent to which present methods of allocating resources to regions can be adjusted to make them more responsive to the needs of different parts of the country, particularly areas of health deprivation.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total budget for the National Health Service during each year from 1966 to 1973; and what proportion of this for each year was for wages and salaries.
§ Dr. OwenThe information is as follows:
Financial year Expenditure on National Health Service Wages and salaries £ million Per cent. 1966–67 1,404 49 1967–68 1,537 48 1968–69 1,660 48 1969–70 1,757 47 1970–71 2,049 45 1971–72 2,345 46 1972–73 2,682 47 1973–74 (estimated) 3,030 48