§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will show the total expenditure on National Health Service administrative and clerical staff for each of the years 1974, 1984, 1985 and 1986; and if he will also estimate National Health Service administrative overheads for each of these years.
§ Mr. NewtonFollowing is information, covering both hospital and community health services and family practitioner services, derived from annual accounts submitted to the Department:
Expenditure on headquarters administration Expenditure on salaries and wages —administrative and clerical staff £000 £000 1974–75 128,788 210,628 1984–85 444,016 797,761 1985–86 479,047 839,180 1986–87 516,624 905,333 Sources:
Annual financial accounts of:
(i) regional and district health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals. (predecessor authorities for 1974–75);
(ii) family practitioner committees;
(iii) the Dental Estimates Board and the Prescription Pricing Authority.
Notes:
1. Expenditure on headquarters administration includes all current expenditure on the pay and pay related costs of staff of all disciplines (including general managers) employed at headquarters levels and their office costs and overheads. It excludes the cost of clerical and secretarial support staff employed in departments at hospital and unit levels: such costs are regarded as operational.
2. The figures for headquarters administration also include the total expenses of the Dental Estimates Board and the Prescription Pricing Authority which are regarded as wholly administrative.
3. The figures for expenditure on the salaries and wages of administrative and clerical staff include:
(i) the gross pay and employers' national insurance and superannuation contributions for all grades of National Health Service administrative and clerical staff employed at all levels;
(ii) the total expenditure on the employment of all non-National Health Service (agency, etc) administrative and clerical staff;
(iii) the total pay costs of the Dental Estimates Board and the Prescription Pricing Authority which are predominantly for 179W administrative and clerical staff but include a small element for other staff categories which is not separately identifiable.
4. All expenditure by other bodies and special health authorities providing central services to the National Health Service (eg the Central Blood Laboratories Authority) and expenditure met centrally by the Department is excluded.