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Health Expenditure
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for (a) Great Britain and (b) each health authority area, the expenditure on health by weighted head of population, expressed in real terms, for each year since 1997 for which figures are available. [39544]
Mr. Hutton: Information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
The expenditure on health by weighted head of population in real terms for each health authority area in England for each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
Expenditure by health authorities and primary care trusts.
Notes:
1. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year.
2. Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.
3. The expenditure is the total spent on commissioning health care 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. The majority of drugs expenditure in 1997–98 and 1998–99 and a smaller element in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.
4. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting in 2000–01 where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be identified.
5. Some health authorities act as lead commissioners for particular specialties which inflates their figures when compared with others and also causes differences between years. Other factors may also distort the figures so the results are therefore not all directly comparable with each other and with answers to similar questions for previous years.
Source:
Health authority audited accounts 1997–98 and 1998–99
Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–01
Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01
Weighted population estimates for 1997–98 to 2000–01
GDP deflator at market prices with 2000–01 as the base year
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European Health Care Integration
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy towards the impact of European integration on member states' health care systems with reference to paragraph 30 of the Laeken conclusions. [39634]
Jacqui Smith: The organisation, funding and delivery of care should be a matter for member states to reflect the specific care needs of our population. However, we have much to learn from each other and it is important that we share common experience and best practice to promote a high level of health care and care for all EU citizens in view of the challenges presented by an aging population. This is best achieved by co-operation on a bilateral and multi-lateral level.
The EU Social Protection Committee and the Economic Policy Committee will present an initial report on orientations in the field of health care for the elderly to Heads of Government at the Barcelona Council on 14–15 March.
Salt
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if stakeholders were (a) contacted by the SACN and (b) asked to submit evidence to the review on salt. [40301]
Yvette Cooper: Interested parties were alerted to the review through information placed on the SACN website, which included a call for submissions on evidence. Four key stakeholders—the Food and Drink Federation, the British Retail Consortium, the Salt Manufacturers Association and Consensus Action on Salt and Health—were alerted to the intended review so that they could submit evidence if they so wished.
Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remit is of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's review of the evidence on salt since 1994. [40300]
Yvette Cooper: At the first meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) sub-group on salt (25 January 2002), the group agreed that its purpose was to review the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy's 1994 recommendation (for a "reduction in the average intake of sodium by reducing salt intake by a third, from 9g to 6g per day") in the light of any new evidence, taking into account the submissions that had been received from interested parties; and to consider making recommendations for children.
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Mr. Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition will publish the evidence received from the stakeholders (a) during and (b) after the outcome of the dietary sodium review. [40302]
Yvette Cooper: The minutes of the sub group's first meeting will be placed on the SACN website—www.sacn.gov.uk—once they have been agreed by the Chair and members. The agenda of the meeting and a list of papers and submissions submitted to SACN have already been placed on the website. Interested parties can request copies of papers through the SACN secretariat.
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