§ Mr. Dan Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether special funds have been made available to health authorities to enable them to tackle waiting list problems; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. EnnalsNo special funds have been made available to health authorities. In 1975–76 and 1976–77 regional health authorities were notified individually of sums, amounting to £5 million nationally, that should be spent from within their normal financial allocations on projects designed to assist in reducing waiting lists. In the event, estimated expenditure on such projects was £4¾ million in 1975–76 and £7¾ million in 1976–77.
For subsequent years, health authorities have not been asked to achieve a particular minimum spend on such projects but they have been asked to identify in their capital programmes projects designed to assist in reducing waiting lists. In their capital programmes for 1977–78, approximately £9.5 million has been identified as applying to such projects.
During Question Time in the House on Tuesday 22nd November 1977 I was asked by the hon. Member for Devon, West (Mr. Mills) about
a lack of funds and a consequent lack of ability to treat these people".—[Vol. 939, c. 1291.]on the waiting list at Plymouth Eye Infirmary. In reply, I made the following separate points:
- i. that I could not give an explanation in the particular case;
- ii. that nationally, the number of consultants and the amount of money available to the NHS had increased;
- iii. that health authorities are spending £9f million during the current financial year on projects designed positively to reduce waiting lists.
There was no suggestion that the money that health authorities plan to spend during the current financial year on projects designed to reduce waiting lists was to come from outside their normal financial allocations.
If I had been announcing a new allocation of funds I would not have done so in reply to a supplementary question. I regret that some right hon. and hon. Members seem to have interpreted my reply to mean that extra money was to be made available for dealing with waiting list problems: this is not what I said and I am sorry if there was any misunderstanding. It was certainly not intended.