§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the real terms increase in revenue expenditure on hospital and community health services since 1982; what percentage of that increase has been used to meet the costs of the National Health Service drugs bill, the financing of pay awards and costs of repairs and maintenance; to what extent the increase takes into account demographic changes; and what investments he proposes to inject into the hospital and community health budget during the next three years.
§ Mr. HayhoeRevenue expenditure on hospital and community health services increased 2.4 per cent. in economic cost terms in the two years from 1982–83 to 1984–85. The cash allocations for each year included an amount over and above forecast general inflation in recognition of the costs of demographic change. Health authorities are expected to meet pay and price increases, to develop services and to invest as necessary in repairs and maintenance from within the total resources available to them, including both their cash allocations and resources released from efficiency savings and cost improvement programmes. It is not, therefore, possible to identify separately the proportion of the cash interest allocated each year which has been spent on specific items. As regards hospital and community health services funding over the next three years, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services to my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey, South-West (Mrs. Bottomley) on 12 November at columns162–63.