Written question asked by Lord Harper (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 February 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 February 2008. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Monday, 18 February 2008 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Wheelchairs: Finance

Question: (3) how much each primary care trust spent on (a) equipment, (b) overheads and (c) staffing costs in relation to the provision of wheelchairs for children and young people in the last year for which figures are available.

Answer: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine allocations for the improvement of wheelchair provision for children and young people taking into account local needs, the priorities set out in the national health service operating framework for 2008-09 and other national strategies. The Government recently announced, through the comprehensive spending review, that local authority funding will increase by £2.6 billion by 2010-11 and NHS funding will increase from £35 billion in 1997-98 to £110 billion in 2010-11.Information on PCT expenditure in relation to wheelchairs for children and young people is not held centrally.Consideration is being given to the findings and recommendations of the Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair services project in relation to wheelchair services with a view to confirming the next steps in due course.

Secondary information