asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will extend and update, using the same format, the information given in the answer of 24 May 1985, Official Report, columns 587–88, relating to expenditure by his Department on benefits and services for the chronically sick and disabled, to cover additionally the years 1985–86 arid 1986–87, taking 1986–87 as the price base for the information relating to expenditure at constant prices.

The spending on benefits and on services provided directly by the Department for long-term sick and disabled people in the years 1970–71 to 1986–87 is given in the table. Information on the provision of services by health authorities and by local authorities specifically to this group is not available.

Information on funded establishments is not collected centrally and our funding of regional health authorities, which in turn decide allocations to districts is not on the basis of staff numbers at establishments but reflects an assessment of their relative population need in accordance with the principles set out by the Resource Allocation Working Group.The table shows a breakdown of nursing and midwifery staffing totals into full-time numbers, part-time numbers, part-time whole-time equivalents and total whole-time equivalents. This information is not readily available centrally at district health authority level, and would be disproportionately expensive to obtain.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will tabulate, at current and at constant 1986–87 prices, annual expenditure on social security benefits for the long-term sick and disabled in each year since 1974–75.

Expenditure on benefits paid in consequence of long term sickness or disability is set out in the table.