§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the particular factors in Scotland which have made it necessary for the Scottish health authority revenue equalisation formula to include reference to sparsity of population; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe Scottish health authority revenue equalisation formula, which is the basis for determining annual resource allocations to health boards, includes a sparsity factor in its construction so as to recognise the relatively higher cost of providing community health services in areas with a widely scattered population.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the factors which determine the allocation to health authorities according to the Scottish health authorities revenue equalisation formula; what account is taken of sparsity of population in this formula; and what amounts of revenue are allocated to each Scottish health authority as a result of the operation of this factor in the resource allocation formula.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe basis for the distribution of resources to Scottish health boards for revenue expenditure commitments is demand for health care, measured by local population weighted according to age, sex and other factors and by the national average use of services by relevant population groups, and modified by reference to cross-boundary flow of patients and to the cost of clinical facilities provided for teaching and supra-area services. Sparsity is one of the factors used to construct each Board's composite weighted population, and is measured by reference to the distance between patients' homes and their nearest general medical practitioner. It is not possible to provide the cash value of the sparsity factor in the financial allocations to each Board without incurring disproportionate cost.