HC Deb 17 March 1983 vol 39 cc235-6W
Mrs. Dunwoody

asked the Prime Minister whether she will make it her policy to ensure that real growth in the Health Service is equal to growth in the defence budget.

The Prime Minister

No. The Government have provided for real growth in the NHS and plan further growth in 1983–84. The budgets for different programmes have to be settled in the light of the finance available and the needs of the respective services. It would be quite absurd to create artificial links between the financing of wholly dissimilar programmes.