More attacks on government's NHS spending plans

Abstract

In the Commons debate on the government's public spending white paper?no relief is offered by the plans to the beleaguered National Health Service, according to Mr Frank Dobson, Labour's health spokesman?Mr Peter Rees, chief secretary, the Treasury, claimed that the new plans more than met the government's election com? mitments. Since coming into office in 1979 we have doubled health spending?an increase of 17% above the increase in retail prices, he said. As for the performance of the hospital and community services, that had increased steadily year by year since 1978. Before claiming histrionically that the government had destroyed the finest creation of Lord Beveridge, Aneurin Be van, and Lord Attlee, the Opposition would do well to ponder the facts set out in the white paper's tables, uncomfortable though that might be. Mr Roy Hattersley, shadow Chancellor, thought that Mr Rees's message that the government was sticking on course amounted to saying, Do not worry. We are still on course. The Titanic is moving in its predestined direction. He said that throughout the United Kingdom the level of provision for the NHS had declined tragically and disastrously. Mr Tony Benn, making his debut as MP for Chesterfield, also attacked the government for its record on the NHS. It is no good talking about more money going into the NHS in real terms if 8000 qualified nurses are out of work, he said. There is no point in saying The NHS is safe with us' when 3000 doctors will be out of work by the end of the year. This was a government representing the strong and attacking the weak. Mr Mark Fisher, Labour MP for Stoke on Trent Central, said that Mr Rees had tried to claim that there had been an increase in health spending in real terms, but the figures showed that it would be frozen in real terms. Anyone who knew anything about health knew that an increase of at least 1 ? 5% a year in real terms was needed just to stand still, much less to bring about any development. Nor had Mr Rees made any reference to the demand of an aging population for health care. Mr John Townend, Conservative MP for Bridlington, said that sacred cows must no longer be protected, and the largest of these was the Department of Health and Social Security, which by 1986-7 would account for 43% of total depart? mental spending. He then urged the government to achieve real cuts in public spending?ministers must get out the hatchet. He argued that since under the government the number of nurses had risen by 46000 and of doctors and dentists by 6000, then those who claimed that the quality of health care had declined must be questioning the efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity of nurses and doctors. Mr Terry Davis, shadow Treasury spokesman, said that anybody who took an interest in the NHS knew that the budget needed to be increased by another 0*5% to take account of technological change, and there was no provision for that in the white paper. A real cut in the budget for the NHS would be experienced in the next three years, he added. Closing the debate, Mr Barney Hay hoe, Minister of State, the Treasury, said that the Griffiths report held out the promise of greater efficiency and effectiveness and that that could provide additional resources for patient care. The NHS was expected to introduce major efficiency savings to provide improvements in services and to reduce waiting lists. Labour's solution on deputising