HC Deb 03 March 1987 vol 111 cc587-90W
Mr. Key

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list total Government expenditure in real terms and in cash terms on provision for the elderly in each of the last 10 years.

Mrs. Currie

[pursuant to her reply,2 February, 1987 c. 550.]: I regret that it is not possible to identify fully, and on a consistent basis, all expenditure on elderly people.

Social security expenditure in Great Britain on benefits payable only to elderly people, in cash and in real terms, for each year between 1976–77 and 1985–86 was as follows :

Great Britain (£ million)
Cash Real terms at 1984–85prices1
1976–77 6,480 14,530
1977–78 7,660 15,090
1978–79 8,740 15,550
1979–80 10,130 15,420
1980–81 12,140 15,580
1981–82 14,330 16,750
1982–83 16,120 17,570
1983–84 17,670 18,430
1984–85 18,810 18,810
1985–86 20,470 19,270
1 Adjusted in line with the GDP deflator at market prices.

These figures do not include expenditure on benefits paid to elderly people for reasons other than of age as these cannot be identified separately. For example, the figures do not include attendance allowances paid to elderly people because of disability.

It is estimated that some 43 per cent. of total revenue expenditure on health and personal social services is currently spent on people aged 65 and over, but I regret that similar estimates are not available for the whole period requested. However estimates of expenditure on hospital and community health services and on personal social services used mainly by elderly people are available from the Department's programme budget analysis, details of which are submitted annually to the Select Committee on Social Services and are published by the Committee in minutes of evidence associated with its reports on public expenditure on the social services, the latest being HC 387-II published in July 1986. Estimates for current and capital expenditure, in cash and in real terms, on these services are given below for each year between 1975–76 and 1984–85, the latest year for which these estimates are available.

England
Estimated net expenditure on hospital and community health services used mainly by elderly people
£ million
Current Capital
Cash Real terms at 1984–85prices1 Cash Real terms at 1984–85prices1
1975–76 350 888 33 83
1976–77 407 914 29 65
1977–78 462 909 23 45
1978–79 531 945 27 49
1979–80 640 975 25 37
1980–81 858 1,101 33 42
1981–82 948 1,108 41 47
1982–83 1,017 1,109 34 37
1983–84 1,073 1,120 38 40
1984–85 1,155 1,155 42 42

England
Estimated net expenditure (including Joint Finance) on personal social services used mainly by elderly people
£ million
Current Capital
Cash Real terms at 1984–85prices1 Cash Real terms at 1984–85prices1
1975–76 260 661 n/a n/a
1976–77 300 673 30 68
1977–78 333 656 19 37
1978–79 383 680 25 44
1979–80 471 717 34 52
1980–81 570 732 45 58
1981–82 620 725 41 47
1982–83 678 739 40 43
1983–84 742 774 40 41
1984–853 796 796 42 42

The above estimates do not cover the totality of health and personal social services expenditure on elderly people. They do not for example reflect the considerable use which elderly people make of the acute services, nor the expenditure on services for elderly mentally infirm people, nor do they include expenditure on family practitioner services, and on social work and administration relating to elderly people.

Further expenditure arising through the care in the community pilot projects and on other centrally funded initiatives on elderly people is given below.

England

£million

Care in the Community Pilot projects 2 Other Centrally funded initiatives
Cash Real terms at 1984–85 prices 1 Cash Real terms at 1984–85 prices1
1984–85 0.2 0.2
1985–86 0.8 0.7 0.3 0.3
1986–873 1.4 1.2 0.8 0.7
1 Adjusted in line with the GDP deflator at market prices.
2 Including expenditure on the elderly mentally infirm.
3 Provisional.

n/a = Not available.

In addition, grants are made to voluntary organisations mainly towards their general costs but I regret that details for the whole period are not available in the form requested.

Mr. Key

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list total Government expenditure in real terms and in cash terms on provision for the mentally handicapped in each of the last 10 years.

Mrs. Currie

[pursuant to her reply, 2 February 1987, c. 550]: I regret that total expenditure on provision for mentally handicapped people cannot be identified fully. Within the scope of the responsibilities of the Department the position is as follows. Estimates of expenditure on hospital and some community health services, and on local authority residential and day care services are available from the Department's programme budget analysis, details of which are submitted annually to the Select Committee on Social Services and are published by the Committee in minutes of evidence associated with its reports on Public Expenditure on the Social Services, the latest being HC 387-II published in July 1986. Figures on actual spending on centrally funded initiatives for mentally handicapped people are collected centrally. It is not possible however to identify the use mentally handicapped people make of the family practitioner services and of the other health and personal social services, nor to separate out social security payments made to mentally handicapped people.

Estimates of current and capital expenditure in England on hospital and community health services and local authority services for mentally handicapped people, in cash and in real terms, are given below for each year between 1975–76 and 1984–85, the latest year for which these estimates are available.

England
Hospital and Community Health Services Net expenditure
£ million
Current Capital
Cash Real terms at 1984–85 prices1 Cash Real terms at 1984–85 prices1
1975–76 162 412 13 32
1976–77 181 407 13 30
1977–78 205 404 9 18
1978–79 229 407 9 16
1979–80 275 419 14 21
1980–81 355 455 19 25
1981–82 389 455 18 21
1982–83 419 456 25 27
1983–84 437 456 24 25
1984–85 462 462 32 32

England
Personal Social Services Net expenditure (including Joint Finance)
£ million
Current Capital2
Cash Real terms at 1984–85 prices1 Cash Real terms at 1984– prices1
1975–76 41 103 Not available
1976–77 51 115 12 27
1977–78 62 122 10 19
1978–79 73 130 11 20
1979–80 93 141 14 22
1980–81 119 153 17 22
1981–82 143 167 16 19
1982–83 166 181 13 14
1983–84 189 197 14 14
31984–85 211 211 15 15

Further expenditure arising through care in the community pilot projects and through other centrally funded initiatives is listed below.

England
£ million
Care in the community Pilot projects Other centrally funded initiatives
Cash Real terms at 1984–85 prices1 Cash Real terms at 1984–85 prices1
1983–84 0.6 06
1984–85 0.6 0.6 2.5 2.5
1985–86 2.5 2.4 3.4 3.2
31986–87 3.7 3.4 1.9 1.8
1 Adjusted in line with the GDP deflator at market prices.
2 Figures for 1976–77 to 1980–81 also include expenditure on mentally ill people.
3 Provisional.

In addition grants are made to voluntary organisations mainly towards their general costs but I regret that details for the whole period are not available in the form requested.