§ Mrs. LaitTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are for primary care groups to commission mental health services. [120032]
§ Mr. DenhamHealth authorities are able to delegate to their primary care groups responsibility for commissioning most hospital and community health services, including mental health services. The range of services which each primary care group is responsible for commissioning is a matter for agreement between it and its health authority. As primary care groups develop, we expect them to take on responsibility for commissioning more services, including mental health.
§ Mrs. LaitTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the planned increase in health spending in each of the next three years will be spent on mental health(a) in total and (b) in each region (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a percentage of the planned increase. [120031]
§ Mr. HuttonLast year we announced our vision for mental health services, "Modernising Mental Health Services", with an additional £700 million of funding for health and social services during the comprehensive spending review period (1999–2000 to 2001–02). Since then, in the last budget, significant extra resources were made available to the NHS in each of the next four years. Decisions on the disposition of these resources have yet to be finalised.
It is therefore not possible to identify all of the additional resources that will be available for spend on mental health over the next four years.