§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 will be accounted for by staff costs; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if he will make a statement. [61018]
§ Mr. HuttonThe final accounts for national health service trusts, health authorities, primary care trusts and primary care groups have yet to be collected for 2001–02, but the current estimate of the hospital and community health services pay bill in 2001–02 is £22.7 billion (46 per cent. of the overall NHS planned net expenditure).
The overall cost of the 2002–03 pay award is 4 per cent., but it is not yet possible to estimate the full cost of staff costs as a roportion of overall expenditure because the costs of pay drift, increase in staff numbers and other additional costs are not yet available.