This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Health Department costs
28/01/2005
The costs of the Executive's Health Department costs reflect investment in key policies to improve care, such as care for older people and modernising the way the NHS operates, Health Minister Andy Kerr told MSPs today.
But there was still a strong need to increase efficiency and ensure resources were spent wisely, he added.
Over the past 5 years, annual costs for the Health Department increased by £4.7 million, of which £2 million was for expansion of existing services and the rest was annual pay increases.
The increase is in line with the increase in overall spending on health in Scotland, which has increased from £5 billion to £7.3 billion.
Administration costs have remained steady at 0.2 per cent of total budget.
Commenting on a response to a Parliamentary Question from David Davidson MSP, Mr Kerr said:
"We have put in place many important policies to tackle Scotland's poor health record and improve the NHS since 1999.
"It is right that we fully support our drive to drive down waiting times, implement free personal care, improve mental health and negotiate better terms and conditions for staff.
"But although our administration costs have remained steady as a proportion of our overall budget, there's a lot more we can do.
"Without letting up in our drive to ensure better patient care, we bear a heavy responsibility to ensure that public money goes as far as possible.
"Together with my finance colleagues, I will be looking to make sure that our administration stays as lean as possible in the future."
Mr Kerr also apologised for the length of time taken to answer the question.
"I have apologised to Mr Davidson for the long delay in answering this question. Unfortunately the response once prepared was overlooked and the response was never issued. We now have procedures in place which should prevent a reoccurrence."