HC Deb 12 January 2000 vol 342 cc190-1W
Dr. Cable

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the(a) NHS and (b) Social Service budget for alcohol rehabilitation programmes in the current year. [102552]

Yvette Cooper

There are no specific allocations to either the National Health Service or social services for alcohol rehabilitation. Health authorities purchase substance misuse services from general Hospital and Community Health Service allocations. Local authorities purchase the majority of alcohol services from the generality of community care funding. Information on what the authorities spend on alcohol services from these allocations is not collected centrally. In addition, the Drug and Alcohol Specific Grant provides £1.78 million in 1999–2000 to develop local voluntary sector services for drugs and alcohol.

Dr. Cable

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated cost to the NHS of alcohol-related illness and accidents for each of the last five years. [102559]

Yvette Cooper

Estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of alcohol-related illnesses and injuries vary widely; the most recent academic estimate of which we are aware is for the costs of alcohol misuse in the NHS in England and Wales in 1992 and is reproduced in the table.

£ million
Inpatient costs—direct alcohol diagnosis 40.8
Inpatient costs—other alcohol related diagnosis 120.2
General practice costs 3.1
Total 164.0

Source:

Health Education Authority: Health Update: Alcohol (1997)—after Godfrey, C and Hardman, G. (1994))