§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, further to his speech to the social services conference in Edinburgh on 18 October, if he will list the average annual compound growth rate of spending on social services, in real terms, for the period since 1970–71, indicating the basis of his calculation; if he will list the real terms annual percentage increase in funding for personal social services, for each year from 1992–93 to 1997–98—projected; and in which years since 1979 that increase has been lower than the projected 1997–98 increase in real terms. [10514]
§ Mr. BurnsNet expenditure by social services departments was £80.6 million in 1970–71 and is budgeted to be £7,903.1 million in 1996–97, an average174W real terms growth of 10 per cent. per annum. The figures used in the speech to the social services conference additionally included expenditure on Department of Social Security benefits paid to people in residential care and nursing homes.
The real terms percentage increase in funding provided for personal social services for each year from 1992–93 to 1997–98 is set out as:
Year Real terms annual percentage increase 1993–94 11.9 1994–95 12.6 1995–96 6.1 1996–97 5.2 1997–98 2.4 Since 1979 the annual real terms increase in net expenditure on personal social services was less than 2.4 per cent. in 1981–82, 1984–85 and 1985–86.