Mr. ArthurLewis asked the Secretary of State for Social Services on what basis he estimates that smoking is costing the Health Service £2 million per week; whether he will give details of how he arrived at such statistics; and what are the costs to the Health Service for accidents caused through failure to wear seat belts.
§ Mr. MoyleAn estimate of £36 million per annum in 1970–71—£97 million at
Unit Regional Health Authority Number of Beds Average Occupancy National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital Oxford … 185* 128.0 Midlands Spinal Injuries Unit, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry West Midlands … 46 36.4 Lodge Moor Spinal Injuries Unit, Sheffield Trent … 64 47.0 Southport Paraplegic Unit, Southport Mersey … 37 36.5 Pinderfields General Hospital Spinal Injuries Unit, Wakefield Yorkshire … 31 24.2 Hexham Spinal Injuries Unit, Hexham Northern … 20 17.9 * Includes 30 beds in the Younger Disabled Unit. The regional health authorities which do not have a spinal unit are the North-Western, East Anglian, Wessex, South-western, North-East Thames, North-West Thames, South-East Thames and South-West Thames regional health authorities.
362W1976–77 prices—was made of the total annual health care costs incurred by the hospital, family doctor and general pharmaceutical services in the treatment of smoking-related diseases. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the publication "Smoking and Health" in which the basis of the estimate was given.
An estimate of nearly £15 million in 1975—£17 million at 1976–77 prices— was made of the cost to the NHS of treating front seat occupants of vehicles who were not wearing seat belts at the time of an accident.