§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement on 22 March 2000,Official Report, columns 981-84, what is the proportion of national income that is estimated will be spent on health by the end of 2003–04. [116869]
§ The Prime MinisterAs announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 21 March, provision has been made available for the UK which will allow the average real-terms increase for the UK health service over the next four years to be 6.1 per cent. So health service spending will rise from last year's £45.1 billion, and this year's £49.3 billion, to: next year, £54.2 billion; the year after, £58.6 billion; then £63.5 billion; and then from April 2003, £68.7 billion.
As a result, on current forecasts, UK health spending as a proportion of GDP will increase to around 7.6 per cent. by 2003–04. It is expected that spending within the private health care sector will remain at around 1 per cent. of GDP and the overall rise to 7.6 per cent. is almost solely accounted for by the real terms increase in NHS spending.
The 8 per cent. EU average, as calculated by the OECD, is based on total health care spending. It is therefore directly comparable to the 7.6 per cent. figure.