asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of Scotland's gross domestic product is spent on the National Health Service; and how this compares with other European Economic Community countries, Japan, Canada and the United States of America.
Expenditure on the National Health Service in Scotland in 1980–81 accounted for approximately 6·8 per cent. of Scotland's gross domestic product.Reliable comparisons of the share of national income spent on health services cannot be made because of considerable differences between the systems of health care provided and the different ways in which spending on health is shown in national accounts. Such comparisons do not take account of differences in value for money. Subject to these substantial qualifications, figures calculated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for 1980 or the nearest available year for expenditure on all health care are as follows:
Percentage | |
Belgium | 6·0 |
Denmark | 6·7 |
Federal Republic of Germany | 8·0 |
France | 8·0 |
Greece | 3·8 |
Ireland | 8·4 |
Italy | 6·5 |
Luxembourg | 10·5 |
Netherlands | 8·5 |
Japan | 6·2 |
Canada | 9·6 |
United States of America | 9·6 |
Perinatal, neonatal and infant deaths, Scotland, 1981 | ||||||
Perinatal deaths* | Neonatal deaths† | Infant deaths† | ||||
Area and Social Class | ||||||
Leg. | Illeg. | Leg. | Illeg. | Leg. | Illeg. | |
Scotland—numbers | ||||||
I | 38 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 37 | 2 |
II | 110 | 5 | 68 | 2 | 104 | 3 |
III(NM) | 71 | 28 | 41 | 3 | 82 | 6 |
III(M) | 272 | 14 | 151 | 5 | 236 | 8 |
IV | 114 | 41 | 72 | 15 | 121 | 18 |
V | 59 | 8 | 35 | 6 | 62 | 7 |
N.S. | — | 46 | 1 | 50 | 3 | 91 |
All social classes | 664 | 144 | 392 | 82 | 645 | 135 |
Scotland—rates | ||||||
I | 8·0 | — | 5·1 | — | 7·8 | — |
II | 10·0 | 7·9 | 6·2 | — | 9·5 | — |
III(NM) | 9·4 | 12·8 | 5·5 | — | 10·9 | 2·8 |
These figures may be subject to further revision.