asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total National Health Service expenditure in (a) 1978 and (b) in 1981, expressed in 1978 prices.

I regret that figures are not readily available expressed at 1978 prices. At November 1980 prices total gross expenditure on the National Health Service in England was £9,811 million in 1978–79 and is estimated to have been £10,258 million in 1981–82.