HC Deb 27 January 2000 vol 343 cc336-7W
Mr. John M. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the total NHS budget in the current financial year is accounted for by(a) administration, (b) the purchase of drugs, (c) remuneration of medically-qualified staff and (d) research into improved techniques and treatments; and what the percentages were in 1970. [105995]

Mr. Denham

This information is not available in the exact format requested for this year, and not at all for 1970.

Of the forecast total gross expenditure on the National Health Service this year of £43 billion, the projected breakdown is 1 per cent. for Department of Health administration, 2 per cent. for Central Health and Miscellaneous Services1 and the remaining 97 per cent. for Hospital, Community and Family Health Services2.

Of the Hospital Community and Family Health Services2 total, expenditure on drugs accounts for 11.5 per cent., 4 per cent. accounts for NHS management costs and 1 per cent. accounts for the NHS research and development Levy3.

Information on remuneration is not yet available on remuneration of medically-qualified staff for 1999–2000 but in 1998–99 remuneration for medical staff accounted for 13.1 per cent. of the Hospital, Community and Family Health Services total of £39 billion.

Notes:

1. Hospital, Community and Family Health Services include NHS hospitals, community health, family health services and related services and NHS trusts.

2. Central Health and Miscellaneous Services includes the Welfare Food Scheme, EEA medical costs, expenditure on medical, scientific and technical services predominately on the Public Health Laboratory Service Board, the National Biological Standards Board, the Microbiological Research Authority and the National Radiological Protection Board.

3. The NHS R&D programme provides the evidence base to help with clinical excellence, better quality services and the formulation of policy. R&D programmes also continue to trial and test medical advances and service innovation and to evaluate much recent policy innovation to ensure that good practice is shared and barriers to implementation are overcome.

Mr. John M. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total budget of the NHS in the current financial year, expressed in pounds per head of the population; and what the corresponding figures are for(a) the Netherlands, (b) Belgium, (c) France and (d) Germany. [105990]

Mr. Denham

Gross total NHS expenditure in England is forecast to be £43,049 million in 1999–2000. This is £868 per head of population. The equivalent UK figures are £52,645 million and £887 per head. It is not possible to provide similar comparisons to this figure for Belgium, Netherlands, France and Germany because the data are not available.

The latest comparable data are produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The table gives public and total healthcare expenditure in dollars per capita for the countries quoted above. All figures are for 1997.

It should be emphasised that figures for the different countries are not strictly comparable because of the different definitions of health spending, for example where the boundary between health and social care is drawn.

Expenditure per head: $PPP 1997
Country Public healthcare expenditure per head of population ($PPP 1) Total healthcare expenditure per head of population ($PPP)
UK 1,177 1,391
France 1,520 2,047
Germany 1,822 2,364
Netherlands 1,404 1,933
Belgium 1,549 1,768
1 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) is an exchange rate determined by relative price levels and equates the prices of a representative bundle of goods in the countries concerned.

Source:

OECD Health Databank 1999