§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will extend and update, using the same format, the information given in the answer of 24 May 1985, Official Report, columns 587–88, relating to expenditure by his Department on benefits and services for the chronically sick and disabled, to cover additionally the years 1985–86 arid 1986–87, taking 1986–87 as the price base for the information relating to expenditure at constant prices.
§ Mr. MajorThe spending on benefits and on services provided directly by the Department for long-term sick and disabled people in the years 1970–71 to 1986–87 is given in the table. Information on the provision of services by health authorities and by local authorities specifically to this group is not available.
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Year Expenditure in cash terms Expenditure in constant (1986–87) prices Real annual percentage change £ million £ million 1970–711 — — — 1971–722 360 1,720 — 1972–73 510 2,280 33.0 1973–74 620 2,560 12.0 1974–75 800 2,790 9.0 1975–76 1,070 2,970 6.5 1976–77 1,290 3,170 7.0 1977–78 1,570 3,380 6.5 1978–79 1,830 3,560 5.5 1979–80 2,160 3,600 1.0 normally-funded establishment of nurses expressed as whole-time equivalents and (c) the total number of staff in post expressed as a percentage of the normal establishment of nurses.
§ Mr. NewtonInformation on funded establishments is not collected centrally and our funding of regional health authorities, which in turn decide allocations to districts is not on the basis of staff numbers at establishments but reflects an assessment of their relative population need in accordance with the principles set out by the Resource Allocation Working Group.
The table shows a breakdown of nursing and midwifery staffing totals into full-time numbers, part-time numbers, part-time whole-time equivalents and total whole-time equivalents. This information is not readily available centrally at district health authority level, and would be disproportionately expensive to obtain.
Year Expenditure in cash terms Expenditure in constant (1986–87) prices Real annual percentage change £ million £ million 1980–81 2,560 3,600 0.0 1981–82 3,030 3,870 7.5 1982–83 3,560 4,250 9.5 1983–84 4,150 4,730 11.5 1984–85 4,590 5,020 6.0 1985–86 5,280 5,430 8.00 1986–87 6,090 6,090 12.0 1 Comparable figures are not available as there were no benefits specifically for long term sick and disabled people. 2 Not fully comparable with later years as invalidity benefit was introduced part way through the year.
§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will tabulate, at current and at constant 1986–87 prices, annual expenditure on social security benefits for the long-term sick and disabled in each year since 1974–75.
§ Mr. MajorExpenditure on benefits paid in consequence of long term sickness or disability is set out in the table.
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Great Britain, £ million Year Cash Constant (1986–37 prices) 1974–75 770 2,690 1975–76 1,030 2,860 1976–77 1,250 3,070 1977–78 1,520 3,270
Year Cash Constant (1986–87 prices) 1978–79 1,780 3,470 1979–80 2,100 3,500 1980–81 2,490 3,500 1981–82 2,950 3,770 1982–83 3,480 4,150 1983–84 4,060 4,630 1984–85 4,500 4,920 1985–86 5,190 5,350 1986–87 6,000 6,000