§ Mr. Neil TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress to address health inequalities by changes to the funding formulae for health authorities/primary care trusts. [43738]
§ Yvette CooperThe Government have made good progress. An interim health inequalities adjustment of £130 million was introduced for 2001–02 allocations. This has been extended to £148 million for 2002–03, to be shared between 54 Health Authorities. The Government are also reviewing the existing weighted capitation formula used to distribute NHS funding. By 2003 reducing inequalities will be a key criterion for allocating NHS resources to different parts of the country.