HC Deb 10 February 1992 vol 203 cc388-9W
Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish an updated table of hospital and county health service programme expenditure by age group comparable with that for 1986–87 supplied to the Social Services Select Committee in 1988 and publish such a table both in cash terms and cash adjusted for NHS pay and prices using the same base as the 1986–87 table.

Mr. Dorrell

The information requested is given in the table. The expenditure relates only to that by regional health authorities and excludes expenditure on certain centrally financed services, and on joint finance with the personal social services, as well as all expenditure on family health services.

The methodology for estimating the distribution of expenditure by age has been revised since the 1986–87 estimates were made, largely as a result of changes in the way in which financial data are reported. The figures for 1989–90 are therefore not comparable with the figures for 1986–87.

Changes in input volumes are an inadequate guide to the level of service the NHS can be expected to, achieve, since they do not reflect the continuing success of the NHS

Hospital and community health service Estimated gross current expenditure by age
£ Million
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Expenditure in 1986–87 Expenditure in 1989–90 Expenditure in 1989–90 Expenditure in 1989–90
Age bands (Cash) (Cash) In real terms1 In volume terms2
All births 742.3 888.4 738.1 692.1
0 to 4 590.6 645.8 536.6 503.1
5 to 15 641.5 662.3 550.3 516.0
16 to 44 1,795.9 2,365.7 1,965.6 1,842.9
45 to 64 1,521.7 2,623.9 2,180.1 2,044.0
65 to 74 1,738.1 2,292.8 1,905.0 1,786.1
75 to 84 2,318.1 2,650.7 2,202.4 2,064.9
85 plus 876.2 1,336.5 1,110.4 1,041.1
Total, all ages 10,224.4 13,466.0 11,188.5 10,490.0
1 In 1986–87 prices after allowing for changes in general inflation as measured by the GDP deflator.
2 In 1986–87 prices after allowing for changes in HCHS pay and prices.