§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been spent in the last five years by district health authorities and regional health authorities on purchasing services from private hospitals.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent on the purchase of private 547W health care for NHS patients in 1991–92 and the first three quarters of the financial year 1992–9293; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. Sackville[holding answer 15 February 19931: The annual accounts and financial returns of health authorities do not separately identify expenditure incurred specifically on the purchase of private health care. However, the summarised accounts of health authorities in England for 1991–9292 show that the total of health care and related services purchased from all non-national health service providers was some £182.3 million.
This figure will include expenditure incurred under contracts with variously constituted nursing homes and hospices, voluntary organisations, local authorities and military hospitals in addition to those with private hospitals as such. Similar information is not collected on a quarterly basis.