§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much additional funding will be made available to(a) schools and (b) the Health Service in Wales as a result of specific measures announced in the Budget.[118188]
§ Mr. HansonThere will be an increase of £49.6 million in the Welsh Block as a consequence of the increase in education funding for 2000–01 and of £1,299 million as a consequence of the increase in health funding for 2000–01 to 2003–04, £99 million of which will fall in 2000–01. The allocation of these funds is entirely a matter for the Assembly.
The Assembly Finance Secretary has announced allocations of £20.6 million to schools delegated budgets to raise standards of teaching and learning; £26.8 million for capital investments in schools; £2.2 million for teacher recruitment measures; and £40 million for joint working between NHS, Social Services, voluntary organisations and others to deal with all-year emergency pressures on the NHS and for the NHS to reduce waiting times. She has said that the rest of the increase will be allocated to health; discussions are ongoing on how best to allocate it to other identified priority areas.