HC Deb 09 April 2001 vol 366 cc440-1W
Helen Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Warrington, North constituency, the effects on Warrington, North of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [152317]

Mr. Denham

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: Detailed information on the impact of Department of Health policies nationally is set out in the Department of Health Annual Reports. A copy of the most recent report "Department of Health—Government Expenditure Plans 2000–01" is available in the House of Commons Library and on the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk/dhreport.

The impact of policies is not examined by constituency and statistics collected centrally by the Department are not collected on a constituency basis.

My hon. Friend's constituency falls within the geographical area covered by North Cheshire health authority and Halton and Warrington social services authorities.

Increases in allocations between 1996–97 and 2001–02 for North Cheshire health authority are shown in the table.

Increases in allocations between 1996–97 and 2001–02
Increase
£ million (cash) 57.6
£ million (real terms) 34.7
Percentage (cash) 34.20
Percentage (real terms) 18.91

Note:

Increases for 1999–2000 onwards are for unified allocations which cover hospital and community health services, prescribing and discretionary family health services. Those for previous years cover hospital and community health services only.

North Cheshire health authority has also received additional funding for certain policies. This includes: £864,000 for accident and emergency modernisation between 1997–98 and 2000–01; £31,000, £125,000, £192,000 and £129,000 for improving cancer services (breast, colorectal, lung and cancer outpatients) in 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01 respectively; £2.1 million in 1999–2000 recurrently and £1.7 million recurrently in 2000–01 to reduce waiting times and lists; £75,000 in 1997–98, £2.5 million in 1998–99, £90,000 in 1999–2000 and £226,000 in 2000–01 non recurrently to reduce waiting times and lists; £1.5 million to expand critical care services in 2000–01; £1.2 million in 1997–98, £1.2 million in 1998–99, and £1.1 million in 2000–01 to deal with winter pressures; £0.6 million in 2000–01 and 2001–02 for developing intermediate care services; £122,000 for heart disease services in 2000–01. For 2001–02, the authority plans to spend £0.6 million more on heart disease services, including drugs, from the real terms funding increase given; and £110,000 has been invested in dentistry between 1997–98 and 2000–01.

In addition, my hon. Friend's constituents will benefit from the new purchase of the Daresbury Wing (a private hospital facility on the Warrington Hospital) by the National Health Service in 1999–2000 which cost £1.8 million. A further £1.2 million has been provided by the North West Regional Office of the Department of Health to equip the facility so that it can carry out orthopaedic surgery for the residents of Warrington and the surrounding areas.Warrington local authority came into existence on 1 April 1998. Its personal social services standard spending assessment for 2001–02 is £28.699 million.

In addition to its SSA, Warrington has received additional funding in the form of a number of special and specific grants as set out in the table.

£000
1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02
Special Transitional Grant1 1,179
Partnership grant2 847 726 984
Prevention grant2 65 98 984
Carers grant3 65 157 218
Children's grant3 195 306 766
Mental Health Core grant 157 265 312 4373
Training Support Grant 106 175 198 4225
1The special transitional grant ended in 1998–99.
2The partnership and prevention grants have been combined in 2001–02 and called the promoting independence grant
3The carers' and children's grants were introduced in 1999–2000
4Indicative allocation.