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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Apr 1961

Vol. 188 No. 8

Written Answers. - Health Services, Social Services and Educational Services.

34.

asked the Taoiseach the percentage expenditure of national income on (a) health services (b) social services and (c) educational services in each of the years 1932 to 1952 and on the latest date for which figures are available.

National expenditure on health services and on educational services forms part of the total expenditure on the gross national product. On account of the difficulty of estimating private expenditure on these services it is not possible to make reliable estimates of the proportion of total expenditure which is accounted for by expenditure on each of these items. Figures are available, however, for the net health expenditure by health authorities (including transfer payments to the personal sector but excluding capital expenditure) and of current expenditure by public authorities on educational services (including transfer payments to the personal sector).

Only the administrative expenditure in connection with social services appears explicitly in national expenditure. The greater part of public authorities' expenditure on social services is composed of transfer payments to households (old age pensions, children's allowance, unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit, home assistances, etc.). These transfer payments are then used by households to purchase various goods and services and, therefore, appear in final national expenditure under a number of headings. It is assumed that it is these transfer payments that the Deputy had in mind when framing the question.

The following table shows (a) net health expenditure by health authorities, (b) transfer payments in respect of social services, (c) current expenditure by public authorities on educational services, as a percentage of total expenditure on the gross national product at current market prices for 1938-39, 1947-48 to 1952-53 and 1959-60. Corresponding information in respect of the other years requested is not available.

Public Expenditure on (a) Health services' (b) Social services (transfer payments)' and (c) Educational services as percentages of total expenditure on the Gross National Product at current market prices.

Year

Health Services

Social Services

Educational Services

1938-9

N.A.

4.0

2.9

1947-8

1.7

4.0

2.4

1948-9

1.8

3.8

2.3

1949-50

1.9

4.0

2.2

1950-1

2.1

3.9

2.5

1951-2

2.5

3.9

2.7

1952-3

2.2

4.8

2.5

1959-60

2.7

5.0

2.8

* Transfer payments only.

N.A. Not available.

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