§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if, following the recent Budget, he will give his estimate of the total real level of his Department's budget, in 1995–96 prices, in(a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; if he will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997–98 and (2) 1998–99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if he will make a statement. [8303]
§ Mr. Milburn[holding answer 14 July 1997]: The figures requested for the Department of Health's spending plans within the Control Total are as follows: (a) £33,079 million, (b) £33,516 million, (1) £33,422 million and (2) £33,174 million. (Source: Treasury)
On the new estimate of the GDP deflator announced in the Budget on 2 July, the health budget will increase from £34,928 million in 1997–98 to £36,362 million in 1998–99. For the NHS, this means a real terms increase in resources of 2.35 per cent. in 1998–99.