§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the expenditure by weighted head, in real terms using 2000–01 prices, by health authorities and primary care trusts in(a) Somerset and (b) Dorset for each year from 1985–86 to 2000–01; and if he will make a statement. [32559]
1237W
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 8 February 2002]: For the reasons set out in the notes to the table, expenditure per head cannot be reliably compared between health authorities.
The expenditure per weighted head of population in for 1996–97 to 2000–01 in real terms is shown in the table. Data prior to 1996–97 are not comparable owing to the reorganisation of the national health service on 1 April 1996.
Expenditure per Weighted head in cash terms £ Health authority Dorset Somerset 1996–97 662.77 670.89 1997–98 619.23 654.16 1998–99 661.42 680.07 1999–2000 758.69 734.63 2000–01 1,023.69 825.30 Notes:
1.In many health authorities there are factors which distort the expenditure per head. These include:
the health authority acting in a lead capacity to commission health care or fund training on behalf of other health bodies;
asset revaluations in national health service trusts being funded through health authorities; and
some double counting of expenditure between health authorities and primary care trust within the health authority area.
Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measures to identify differences between funding of health authorities.
2.Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from allocations in the year. The expenditure is the total spent by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board.
3.Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer for 2000–01 cannot be identified
Sources:
Health authority accounts 1996–97 to 1998–99
Health authority summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–01
Primary Care Trust summarisation schedules 2000–01
Weighted population estimates 1996–97 to 2000–01