HC Deb 12 December 1991 vol 200 cc485-6W
Mr. Colvin

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the new system which he intends to introduce to replace the existing resource allocation working party formula.

Mr. Dorrell

Revenue and capital allocations to health authorities were based on the recommendations of the resource allocation working party until 1989. The White Paper "Working for Patients" (Cm. 555, January 1989) proposed an allocation method based on the size of a health authority's resident population, weighted to reflect that population's health and age distribution, and the relative costs of providing health services for it. The process of phasing in the new allocation system for regional health authorities began in 1990, and for district health authorities in 1991.

Mr. Colvin

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how close the Thames regional health authorities were to achieving their resource allocation working party target in the last financial year.

Mr. Dorrell

The use of resource allocation working party targets was discontinued in 1990, when weighted capitation funding was introduced. Consequently, no RAWP targets for the Thames regional health authorities are available for the last financial year.