§ Dr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give figures for each financial year of the amount spent on the national health service from 1979–80 inclusive(a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage change after adjustment for medical inflation, and using 1979–80 as a base year; and if he will give similar estimates for 1990 and 1991.
§ Mr. Dorrell[holding answer 5 July 1990]: The table shows total National Health Service gross expenditure in cash for 1979–80 to 1989–90 and planned expenditure for 1990–91 and 1991–91 in cash. There is no specific index for medical inflation in the national health service but there is 71W a composite National Health Service index of changes in input unit costs and this has been used to adjust the cash figures to a 1979–80 basis. Estimates of changes in unit costs are not made until after the end of the relevant financial year and so it is not possible to put the 1990–91 and 1991–92 figures on this basis.
Year National Health Service expenditure England (cash) Adjusted for input unit costs (1979–80 prices) Percentage change 1979–80 7,755 7,755 1980–81 10,103 7,887 1.7 1981–82 11,329 8,180 3.7 1982–83 12,353 8,372 2.3 1983–84 13,113 8,455 1.0 1984–85 14,103 8,592 1.6 1985–86 14,919 8,645 0.6 1986–87 16,052 8,700 0.6 1987–88 17,652 8,816 1.3 1988–89 19,597 8,858 0.5 11989–90 21,162 21990–91 23,552 21991–91 24,690 1 Estimate. 2 Plan.