§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list, for each area health authority within each region, the proportion of capital expenditure for each of the last five years allocated to each main area of care, and the proportion of the 1976–77 capital expenditure budgets similarly allocated.
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§ Dr. Owen,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 2nd August 1976],gave the following information:
Capital expenditure devoted to main areas of care is not available centrally for each area health authority but the proportions regionally for mental handicap, mental illness, geriatric and other services during the period are set out below.
My right hon. Friend, while giving general approval to the proposed capital programmes submitted by regional health authorities earlier this year, has written personally to the chairmen of some regional health authorities expressing his concern at the low priority given to mental illness. He appreciates that the programmes for 1976–77 were formulated before the publication of his predecessor's consultative document and that circumstances vary from region to region, but he noted that while more than one RHA has allocated over 11 per cent of the programme to projects for the mentally ill, the national total is only just over 5 per cent., against the target of 10+ per cent. implied by the consultative document. The consultative paper is still open for consultation, but in the meantime my right hon. Friend has expressed the hope to some RHA chairmen that even at this late date some re-ordering of the priority of small schemes may be possible to increase the share of capital resources given to mental illness, which he describes as a Cinderella of the health services. He has asked chairmen if they will discuss with the chairmen of area health authorities in their regions what scope there is for such a redirection of their programmes and to let him know their views, and he has told them that in their preliminary planning for next year's programme he wishes special priority to be given to this sector as regards both small schemes and the limited number of major new schemes which the resources available will allow to start in 1977–78.
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NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 Region Geriatric Mental Handicap Mental Illness Other Geriatric Mental Handicap Mental Illness Other Geriatric Mental Handicap Mental Illness Other Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Northern … 8.9 3.7 11.8 75.6 8.8 3.4 11.7 76.1 12.5 2.5 7.5 77.5 Yorkshire … 8.5 14.2 8.6 68.7 9.9 7.6 11.0 71.5 11.9 5.3 7.7 75.1 Trent … 11.3 6.2 3.8 78.7 12.1 5.8 2.5 79.6 11.5 6.2 3.7 78.6 East Anglian … 6.5 4.9 11.3 77.3 11.0 1.9 13.9 73.2 13.6 2.7 7.4 76.3 North-West Thames … 3.4 3.7 11.6 81.3 8.1 3.5 12.4 76.0 3.4 3.2 11.4 82.0 North-East Thames … 3.9 2.8 4.5 88.8 3.6 2.7 6.7 87.0 5.4 5.2 9.8 79.6 South-East Thames … 6.7 2.0 5.2 86.1 10.8 3.0 5.6 80.6 13.2 4.7 5.6 76.5 South-West Thames … 7.8 5.5 8.8 77.9 6.0 5.6 9.8 78.6 13.9 8.6 14.5 63.0 Wessex … 4.4 5.2 2.9 87.5 2.7 3.7 3.5 90.1 3.1 1.6 2.5 92.8 Oxford … 3.7 12.5 2.8 81.0 4.9 9.4 6.1 79.6 5.6 4.1 3.1 87.2 South Western … 5.0 4.1 5.5 85.4 6.2 6.3 7.9 79.6 7.2 4.0 5.7 83.1 West Midlands … 11.6 4.4 12.1 71.9 11.9 6.1 9.3 72.7 15.1 4.8 4.6 75.5 Mersey … 6.2 1.0 9.9 82.9 9.4 0.5 9.1 81.0 7.4 0.4 6.6 85.6 North western … 6.7 5.1 5.6 82.6 6.3 6.0 6.9 80.8 7.2 3.5 5.7 83.6 716W
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 1974–75 1975–76 (estimated) 1976–77 (estimated) Region Geriatric Mental Handicap Mental Illness Other Geriatric Mental Handicap Mental Illness Other Geriatric Mental Handicap Mental Illness Other Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Northern … 11.6 2.1 2.8 83.5 10.0 0.8 1.1 88.1 8.4 1.3 0.8 89.5 Yorkshire … 13.9 1.2 3.3 81.6 12.2 0.7 2.1 85.0 7.7 1.5 3.5 87.3 Trent … 8.1 4.8 3.4 83.7 10.2 6.5 3.0 80.3 8.5 7.3 4.2 80.0 East Anglian … 17.8 4.5 2.7 75.0 18.5 9.4 2.2 69.9 13.9 9.1 4.2 72.8 North-West Thames … 6.4 3.1 12.5 78.0 9.9 3.7 7.4 79.0 7.8 2.1 6.2 83.9 North-East Thames … 3.9 5.3 8.8 82.0 9.0 4.9 9.3 76.8 8.3 3.1 3.2 85.4 South-East Thames … 8.1 1.9 2.9 87.1 12.0 4.3 3.3 80.4 4.3 2.8 1.7 91.2 South-West Thames … 8.6 2.7 4.7 84.0 7.4 5.8 5.2 81.6 4.1 2.5 11.9 81.5 Wessex … 3.4 3.6 4.6 88.4 5.0 4.9 8.4 81.7 4.1 2.5 11.9 81.5 Oxford … 6.6 2.8 1.7 88.9 8.1 2.2 1.6 88.1 6.5 2.3 1.6 89.7 South Western … 12.8 2.7 3.4 81.1 12.5 4.4 2.7 80.4 4.5 3.1 2.7 89.7 West Midlands … 9.5 4.5 12.1 73.9 9.8 4.8 8.3 77.1 13.7 6.5 11.3 68.5 Mersey … 6.6 0.7 5.0 87.7 5.4 0.8 6.7 87.1 6.0 2.0 10.1 81.9 North Western … 7.5 2.4 5.3 84.8 11.4 4.8 2.2 81.6 15.0 1.4 5.1 78.5 Other-Includes health centres from 1974–75.