Health written question – answered at on 13 November 2012.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) what representations he has received on the ring-fencing of public health budgets;
(2) which local authorities have requested that public health budgets being transferred to them from primary care trusts should not be ring-fenced;
(3) what plans he has to remove ring-fencing from public health budgets being transferred to local authorities from primary care trusts.
The White Paper ‘Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS’, published in July 2010, announced the transfer of public health responsibilities from primary care trusts to local authorities, to be funded by a ring-fenced public health budget. This remains the policy position. The Department consulted on the funding and commissioning routes for public health between December 2010 and March 2011, and has subsequently engaged widely with local government and other interests on the new funding arrangements for public health. A wide range of views have been expressed by different organisations, both for and against the ring-fence.
Decisions on whether to maintain or remove the ring-fence on the public health allocation will be taken in due course.
Yes0 people think so
No0 people think not
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