§ Mr. Campbell-SavoursTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if money released in the budget Statement for the financial year 1998–99 for NHS expenditure can be used directly or indirectly so as to enable(a) health authorities and (b) NHS Trusts to (i) reduce their deficits in 1997–98 and (ii) carry such deficits forward. [7723]
§ Mr. MilburnHealth Authority allocations for 1998–99 will be announced in the autumn. These cannot be spent in 1997–98. However, knowledge of the resources available in 1998–99 will help health authorities and trusts to plan their financial management of 1997–98 with more confidence and influence their decisions.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the actions required to be taken by an NHS trust if its accounts are in deficit at the end of a financial year. [7446]
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§ Mr. MilburnNational Health Service trusts have the one statutory duty to break even taking one year with another. If a trust reports a deficit in its accounts it will be expected to recover the deficit over an agreed timescale.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts and health authorities which were in deficit at the end of 1996–97 indicating the size of the deficit for each. [7762]
§ Mr. MilburnThe information requested is available in the Library.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will update Table 2.1 in his Department's annual report taking into account the additional allocation of moneys for 1997–98 announced by the Chancellor on 2 July. [7463]
§ Mr. MilburnWe shall update Table 2.1 in the next Departmental Report.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors underlay the deficits for(a) Bradford, (b) Dudley, (c) Ealing, (d) Hammersmith and Hounslow, (e) Enfield and Haringey, (f) Lambeth, (g) Southwark and Lewisham, (h) Merton, (i) Sutton, (j) Wandsworth, (k) North Essex, (l) Redbridge and Waltham Forest, (m) Wakefield and (n) West Surrey and Wiltshire health authorities for 1996–97. [7757]
§ Mr. MilburnThe factors which underlay the health authority deficits reported in 1996–97 include overspends resulting from extra-contractual referrals, general practitioner fundholder overspends and the need for service changes.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish a list of those health authorities which have recurrent deficits. [7761]
§ Mr. MilburnThe information requested will be placed in the Library in due course.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the annual real terms increase or decrease in resources available to the national health service(a) in England and (b) in Wales for each financial year since 1978–79. [7454]
§ Mr. MilburnThe annual real terms increases in National Health Service resources in England from 1978–79 are set out in the table. Questions relating to Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
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NHS Total Gross Expenditure (England)1 Year Percentage real growth2 1978–79 3.2 1979–80 1.8 1980–81 10.1 1981–82 2.2 1982–83 1.8 1983–84 1.5 1984–85 2.4 1985–86 0.2 1986–87 4.4 1987–88 4.5 1988–89 4.2 1989–90 0.7 1990–91 3.6 1991–92 6.4
NHS Total Gross Expenditure (England)1 Year Percentage real growth2 1992–93 5.2 1993–94 0.6 1994–95 3.6 1995–96 1.9 1996–97 1.2 1997–98 0.5 1 NHS gross expenditure is made up of Government expenditure (raised by taxation), plus income from sources such as charges for services, receipts from land sales and income generation schemes. 2 The percentage real terms growth is calculated using the GDP deflator of 27 June 1997.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the administrative costs of each health(a) authority and (b) trust in England (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of their budget for 1996–97. [7452]
§ Mr. MilburnThe information requested is contained in the publication "Health Authority Costs and Management Costs in National Health Service Trusts" published in March 1997, copies of which are available in the Library. This details individual health authority costs and trust management costs for 1995–96, as well as planned costs in 1996–97. Final accounts figures for Health Authority costs and trust management costs in 1996–97 are expected to be available towards the end of the year.