HC Deb 20 March 1989 vol 149 cc491-2W
Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the definitions for the purposes of statistics collection of the national United Kingdom expenditure on health care provision(a) for total public expenditure on health services, (b) for private sector health care provision and (c) for voluntary sector health care provision.

Mr. Freeman

The United Kingdom national accounts, prepared by the Central Statistical Office, define the components of net public expenditure on health care as follows:

  1. (a) Total final consumption on the NHS.
  2. (b) Public sector gross domestic fixed capital formation on health.
  3. (c) Current grants to the personal sector.
  4. (d) Current grants abroad.
  5. (e) Capital grants to the private sector.

Private expenditure on health is defined as the sum of:

  1. (f) Payments to the NHS, ie "charges".
  2. (g) Consumers' expenditure on medicines.
  3. (h) Consumers' expenditure on private medical insurance.
  4. (i) Consumers' expenditure on spectacles.
  5. (j) Consumers' expenditure on medication.
  6. (k) Private sector gross domestic fixed capital formation.

The voluntary sector is not separately identified in the United Kingdom national accounts.

Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the national United Kingdom expenditure on voluntary sector health care provision in money terms, for the latest 10 financial years for which figures are available.

Mr. Freeman

Expenditure by the voluntary sector on health care provision is not separately identified in the United Kingdom national accounts prepared by the Central Statistical Office.

Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the total national United Kingdom expenditure on private sector health care provision from National Health Service funds in money terms, for the latest 10 financial years for which figures are available; and whether this includes the voluntary sector.

Mr. Freeman

None. NHS funded health care is, by definition, NHS health care.

Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give figures for, or an estimate of, the amount of double counting of expenditure on health care provision when amounts are aggregated for national United Kingdom statistics on total national expenditure on health.

Mr. Freeman

We are not aware of any double counting either in the health expenditure figures for England which this Department prepares or in the summary figures for the United Kingdom which are prepared by the Central Statistical Office for the United Kingdom national accounts.

Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the national United Kingdom expenditure on voluntary sector health care provision from National Health Service funds in money terms, for the latest 10 financial years for which figures are available.

Mr. Freeman

The United Kingdom national accounts prepared by the Central Statistical Office do not separately identify voluntary health care provision from National Health Service funds.