§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what extra funding is planned to be devoted to the implementation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [168825]
§ Dr. LadymanFunding to implement the guidance and recommendations of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not separately identified in primary care trust (PCT) allocations.
The national health service is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history, so the question of affordability of NICE recommendations should not be an issue. The total of PCT allocations is £45 billion for 2003–04, £49.3 billion for 2004–05 and £53.9 billion for 2005–06. This represents an increase of £12.7 billion, or an average of 30.8 per cent. over the three years 2003–04 to 2005–06.