HC Deb 12 February 1988 vol 127 cc401-2W
Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients except the chronically sick and those in receipt of retirement pension or supplementary benefit to make a payment of £25 a day for hospital in-patient care;

(2) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients, excluding those in receipt of supplementary benefit, to make a payment of £25 a day for hospital in-patient care;

(3) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients, excluding those in receipt of retirement pension, to make a payment of £25 a day for hospital in-patient care;

(4) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients, excluding those who are chronically sick, to make a payment of £25 a day for hospital in-patient care;

(5) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients to make a payment of £25 a day for hospital in-patient care;

(6) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients to pay £10 for each visit to a hospital accident and emergency unit;

(7) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients except those in receipt of supplementary benefit, to pay £10 for each visit to a hospital accident and emergency unit;

(8) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients except those in receipt of retirement pension, to pay £10 for each visit to a hospital accident and emergency unit;

(9) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients except those who are chronically sick or in receipt of retirement pension or supplementary benefit, to pay £10 for each visit to a hospital accident and emergency unit;

(10) what is his estimate of the annual yield, excluding administration costs, from requiring all patients except those who are chronically sick, to pay £10 for each visit to a hospital accident and emergency unit;

Mrs. Currie

I regret that information is not held centrally on the number of chronically sick, retirement pensioners or supplementary benefit recipients who are inpatients or who visit hospital accident and emergency units, and estimates in respect of these groups are not therefore possible. The gross annual yield from a £25 daily charge to all NHS in-patients is estimated at £2,370 million. The gross annual yield of a £10 charge for all NHS visits to a hospital accident and emergency unit is estimated at £138 million (this does not include out-patient attendances). No estimate has been made of the administration costs involved in collecting such charges but these costs would not he insignificant.