Mr. Jim Callaghanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the National Health Service expenditure has been spent on pensioners in 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80.
§ Sir George YoungNational Health Service expenditure on all pensioners cannot be separately identified from the financial information collected centrally. However, in 1977–78 and 1978–79 estimated expenditure on people aged 65 years and over accounted for some 38 per cent. and 39 per cent. respectively of the total current expenditure on the hospital and community health services and family practitioner services. Similar information for 1979–80 is not yet available.