asked the Minister for Health the additional or new yield and-or savings to the Health Vote in a full year of: (a) an increase in health contributions of one half of 1 per cent (b) an introduction of £12.50 out-patient charge (c) the introduction of a £1 prescription charge (d) the introduction of a £12.50 per night public ward charge (e) an increase in the health contribution ceiling to £17,500 (f) the abolition of the community drug refund scheme and the long-term illness scheme (g) the abolition of local health committees (h) the introduction of a General Medical Service capitation system (i) the introduction of a 50 per cent increase in charges on consultants using hospital facilities for their private patients and (j) the introduction of a 20 per cent increase in charges for private and semi-private beds in health boards and public voluntary hospitals.
Written Answers. - Additional Health Charges.
The information requested by the Deputy is as follows. The figures given in certain cases are based on arithmetic progressions of the current position and are subject to variation.
(a) Based on the present estimated receipts from health contributions an increase in the contribution rate to 1.75 per cent would yield an additional £44 million in income in a full year.
(b) It is estimated that an increase of £2.50 on the existing £10 out-patient charge would generate additional full year income of £1.25 million.
(c) I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 148 section (a) of 8 March 1988.
(d) The full year additional income resulting from an increase of £2.50 per night in public ward changes would be in the region of £1.5 million.
(e) An increase in the income ceiling for health contributions to £17,500 would bring in an extra £1.4 million approximately in a full year.
(f) I would again refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 148, sections (b) and (c) of the 8 March 1988.
(g) The abolition of local health committees would generate savings of approximately £400,000 in a full year.
(h) The Deputy will be aware that discussions on the introduction of a new contract for doctors participating in the GMS scheme are continuing under the chairmanship of Mr. John Horgan. In the circumstances it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this matter.
(i) The question of charges for the use of public facilities by consultants for treating private patients will be considered as part of the ongoing discussions on the review of the common contract.
(j) An increase of 20 per cent in charges for private and semi-private accommodation in public hospitals would yield an additional £7.9 million in a full year.
I could not at this point give any estimate of what could be collected. The repercussions of the attempt to collect such charges in the past are still being dealt with in the ongoing negotiations of the common contract.