§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give for Northern Ireland and for each of the area boards in Northern Ireland, actual current expenditure on hospital and community health services, giving figures for net spending, charges. total spending, the percentage increase, inflation in service, the percentage change in purchasing power, the percentage change in real terms, cash releasing cost improvements divided between real money and recurrent, the percentage 277W increase in new cost improvements and the margin available for service development in a year; if he will give this information for the years 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86 and 1986–87; and if he will make a statement.
Northern Ireland 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 HCHS current net spending (£) 337,251,533 361,873,714 384,016,995 399,051,835 420,813,975 Charges (£) 4,058,453 4,971,510 5,364,915 5,668,174 5,927,110 Total spending (£) 341,309,986 366,845,224 389,381,910 404,720,009 426,741,085 Increase (per cent.) — 7.5 6.1 3.9 5.4 Inflation etc. in service (per cent.) — 5.1 5.8 5.2 6.9 Change in purchasing power (per cent.) — 2.3 0.3 -1.2 -1.4 Change in real terms (per cent.) — 2.7 1.6 -1.9 -2.2 As the health and personal social services operate an integrated service in Northern Ireland it is not possible or meaningful to disaggregate cash releasing cost improvement schemes for the hospital and community health services from the total figures, which for the years in question were:
(£'000) (£'000) (£'000) New 2,438 3,336 6,800 Recurrent 2,438 5,661 12,000 In addition, in line with the regional strategy covering the years 1987–1992, the boards are aiming for non cash releasing cost improvements of approximately 1 per cent. per annum, which will be used to maintain and develop essential services. I have every confidence in their ability to achieve these targets.
§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mentally handicapped children are receiving long-term care in mental handicap hospitals in each area board and for Northern Ireland as a whole; and what planning guidelines are laid down by his Department for boards to follow in this area.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe numbers of mentally handicapped children in the 0 to 15 age band who had been in mental handicap hospitals for more than three months at 31 December 1986 were as follows:
Board Number of Children Eastern 12 Southern 9 Western 7 Northern — Northern Ireland Total 28 The corresponding figure for Northern Ireland at 31 December 1981 was 73.
The regional strategy for the health and personal social services in the years 1987 to 1992 states that the Department wishes boards to place particular emphasis on reducing to the absolute minimum the number of mentally handicapped children in hospital and identifies the development of community services as an essential component of the policy.
§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will state the number of National
278W
§ Mr. NeedhamThe information is as follows:
Health Service community mental handicap nursing staff, whole-time equivalent in Northern Ireland and each area board at 30 September in each of the years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and the percentage change 1983–86; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe number of community mental handicap nursing staff employed by the health and social services boards (whole-time equivalent) at 30 September each year was as follows:
Board 1983 1984 1985 1986 Eastern 4 5 5 7 Southern 4 4 4 6 Western 5 5 5 5 Northern — — — — Northern Ireland 13 14 14 18 The percentage increase over the period was 38 per cent. In 1987 the number of nurses increased to 22–69 per cent. above the figure for 1983.
The mental handicap nursing service is one element of the developing pattern of community services for the mentally handicapped which also includes day care provision in adult training centres and day centres, residential care, respite care and fostering schemes. The regional strategy for the health and personal social services plans for a reduction by 1992 of 20 per cent. in the number of mentally handicapped people in hospital which will necessitate improvements in community provision, including the development of community mental handicap teams, and a continuing increase in the numbers of community mental handicap nurses.