HC Deb 14 March 1980 vol 980 cc730-1W
Mr. Ray Powell

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the present level of expenditure on the National Health Service; and how it compares per head of population with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member States.

Sir George Young

There are serious difficulties in making meaningful comparisons of health care expenditure in different countries, since such expenditure is not recorded on a strictly comparable basis in the relevant national accounts, and does not take account of differences in "value for money" or in the purchasing power of different currencies. The best figures at present available, are those produced in 1977 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development itself, which give total expenditure on health care provision among member States—that is, public and private combined—at current market prices in 1974 or near date. The figures refer to current expenditure only, and expenditure per head is calculated from expenditure in local currency converted to £ sterling according to the average exchange rate for the year in question.

Country Expenditure per head
£
Australia 161
Austria 108
Belgium 117
Canada (1973) 151
Denmark 172(1)
Finland (1975) 150
France 149
Germany 183
Greece (1975) 36
Iceland (Information not available)
Ireland (1975) 76
Italy 72
Japan 89
Luxembourg 110
Netherlands (1972) 102
New Zealand (1973–74) 88
Norway (1973) 112
Portugal (Information not available)
Spain 50

NHS expenditure at current prices* NHS expenditure at constant (1970) prices* United Kingdom Index of basic wage rates (manual workers)§‡
£ million Index £ million Index
1956 633 100 1,021 100 100
1957 685 108 1,062 104 111
1958 728 115 1,079 106 113
1959 788 124 1,151 113 117
1960 861 136 1,235 121 120
1961 928 147 1,289 126 125
1962 971 153 1,302 128 129
1963 1,035 164 1,358 133 134
1964 1,130 178 1,447 142 141
1965 1,275 201 1,566 153 146
1966 1,401 221 1,655 162 154
1967 1,558 246 1,790 175 158
1968 1,693 268 1,881 184 169
1969 1,773 280 1,899 186 178
1970 2,024 320 2,011 197 198
1971 2,299 363 2,071 203 221
1972 2,650 419 2,167 212 248
1973 3,013 476 2,264 222 289
1974 3,934 622 2,550 250 341
1975 5,299 837 2,666 261 454
1976 6,236 985 2,757 270 539
1977 6,897 1,090 2,741 268 569
* Source: Report of the Royal Commission on the National Health Service, Cmnd. 7615 (HMSO 1979).
† Excludes "NHS Other" expenditure, included in current price series (£4 million in 1956, and £27 million 1977).
Source: Annual Abstract of Statistics.
§ Weekly wage rates, all industries and services.