To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was paid per year, for each of the last 10 years, by his Department to voluntary hospices, and how much was paid by local health authorities.
Information on the level of health authority support for hospices is not available in the form requested, but is currently being collected in respect of recent years. In 1988–89, the Department contributed £1·3 million via health authorities towards the cost of pay awards for hospice nurses, and £400,000 via the charitable trust Help the Hospices, to assist projects in short-term financial difficulty. This year it has made an additional allocation of £8 million to health authorities to enable them to increase the support they give to hospices. It has also made the following direct grants to innovative projects offering a range of services for people with AIDS:
| £ thousands | ||||
| 1987–88 | 1988–89 | 1989–90 | 1990–91 | |
| London Lighthouse: | ||||
| Capital | 1,250 | — | — | — |
| Revenue | 100 | 170 | 300 | 300 |
| Mildmay Mission Hospital: | ||||
| Capital | 321 | — | — | — |
| Revenue | 29 | 162 | 98 | — |
| Commissioning costs | — | 94 | 32 | — |
1987–88
| 1988–89
| 1989–90
| 1990–91
| |
| Total | 1,700 | 426 | 430 | 300 |
An announcement will be made early in the new year about Government funding for hospices in 1991–92.