§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will estimate the total real level of her Department's planned expenditure on health in 1995–96 prices in(a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–9; and what such figures were for (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 1998–99, following the November 1996 budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget. [17566]
§ Mr. Worthington[holding answer 25 November 1997]: The figures requested are as follows: (a) £1,565 million, (b) £1,544 million, (i) £1,576 million and (ii) £1,570 million. The figure for (b) reflects the spending plans of the previous Government as 1998–99 public expenditure reallocations for the individual Northern Ireland programmes will not be announced until early December.