§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the proportion of National Health Service 377W expenditure for the current year on hospital nursing, consultant and direct patient care; and what are the equivalent figures for other European Economic Community countries which operate a State-provided health service.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergIn 1981–82, the latest year for which figures are available, current expenditure on direct patient care in hospitals in England, including medical, dental and nursing care and diagnostic and other paramedical services, was £3,944 million. This represented 63 per cent. of total gross current expenditure on hospital services in England in 1981–82. General support services, such as catering, domestic services, medical records and laundry accounted for a further 31.3 per cent. The remaining 5.7 per cent. was spent on administration. I regret, that comparable figures for EC countries are not available.