HC Deb 11 January 1989 vol 144 c689W
Dr. Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are currently issued by his Department regarding the toxicity and potential effects on health of aluminium sulphate in drinking water.

Mr. Freeman

No guidelines on aluminium sulphate in drinking water are issued by this Department. However, EC directive 80/778/EEC sets maximum admissible concentrations of 0.2 milligrams of aluminium and 250 milligrams of sulphate per litre of drinking water, and stipulates the conditions under which these concentrations may be exceeded without breach of the directive.

(a) Hospital services—Total revenue expenditure (b) Community Health Services revenue expenditure—Family planning
Year £000 (cash) Index £000 (at 1987–88 prices) Index £000 (cash) Index £000 (at 1987–88 prices) Index
1980–81 5,603,590 100 8,306,818 100 21,640 100 32,079 100
1981–82 6,211,403 111 8,382,164 101 22,806 105 30,776 96
1982–83 6,650,895 119 8,377,135 101 25,481 118 32,095 100
1983–84 7,007,557 125 8,442,284 102 28,462 132 34,289 107
1984–85 7,387,520 132 8,471,343 102 30,399 140 34,859 109
1985–86 7,753,315 138 8,435,297 102 32,298 149 35,139 110
1986–87 8,255,383 147 8,691,267 105 33,810 156 35,595 111
1987–881 8,786,818 157 8,786,818 106 n.a n.a
1Provisional figure—as yet subject to audit.

Sources:

  1. (a) Summarised annual accounts of regional and district health authorities and those of the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals. (Predecessor authorities for the years prior to 1982–83)
  2. (b) "Health Services Costing Returns"—1980–81 to 1986–87 (latest available)—DHSS/Welsh Office.

Notes to the table

  1. 1. Capital expenditure is excluded.
  2. 2. The figures for the earlier years have been expressed at 1987–88 prices by the use of the gross domestic product deflator.
  3. 3. The figures for "hospital services" are exclusively for those services. That is expenditure on community health, ambulance, blood transfusion and other services (usually included in total Hospital and Community Health Services expenditure) is excluded.
  4. 4. The figures for "community health services—family planning" are derived from community health service costing returns submitted by district health authorities in England and reflect expenditure which is primarily clinic based. Expenditure on family planning services and related activity undertaken in hospitals and by general medical practitioners as part of family practitioner services is excluded.

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