§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his target of increasing health spending to the EU average includes raising non-Government health spending to average EU levels. [9925]
§ Mr. HuttonI have been asked to reply.
We aim to increase total health expenditure in the United Kingdom up to the average of the countries of the European Union, which is around 8 per cent. of gross domestic product. By the end of the present spending review period (2003–04), we expect that total UK expenditure on health will have reached 7.7 per cent. of gross domestic product. This assumes private sector spending will remain at around 1 per cent. of GDP. Expenditure beyond this period will be decided in future spending reviews.