asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the percentage of gross national product on health expenditure to the nearest available date in the United States of America, Australia, Denmark, France, West Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan.

It is not possible to make reliable comparisons of the share of national income spent on health services because of substantial differences between the systems of health care provided and the different ways in which spending on health is shown in national accounts. Nor do the comparisons take account of differences in value for money. With these provisos, we now estimate that the proportion of gross domestic product at market prices spent on health services for the countries requested in 1980—or nearest available year—was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of gross national product is spent on health services by the United States of America and each of the member States of the European Economic Community.

It is not possible to make reliable comparisons of the share of national income spent on health services, because of substantial differences between the systems of health cover provided and the different ways in which spending on health is shown in national accounts. Nor do such comparisons take account of differences in value for money. With these provisos, we now estimate that the proportion of gross domestic product at market prices spent on health services in the USA and the member states of the European Economic Community in 1980—or nearest available year—was as follows: