§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, (1) pursuant to his answer of 14 May 2002, ref. 56283, on expenditure, what assessment he has made of the money necessary to meet(a) increases in pay, (b) increases in prices and (c) the other pressures faced by health authorities; and if he will make a statement on how the increased health authority allocations will meet each increase and pressure; [58335]
(2) if he will make a statement on how the increased allocations to health authorities for 2002–03 will be spent. [58302]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 21 May 2002]: Health authority allocations for 2002-03 increased by £3,704 million, or 9.9 per cent. This included sufficient funding to meet increases in pay, prices and other pressures faced by all health authorities. It is for health authorities in partnership with primary care trusts and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling inequalities and modernising services.