Top links: Home About us Contacts Jobs Links
Shop Your basket Support us

• Current Releases
• Archive

You are in: ippr north

Search
keywords: policy area: please select a policy area arts, culture & sportassets & wealthchildren & familiescrime & justicedemocracy, governance & citizenshipdigital society & mediaeconomy and businesseducationenvironmenthealth & social carehousing & communitieshuman rightsinternationallocal government, nations & regionsmigration & integrationpublic servicestax, welfare & public financetransport

England closes spending gap with Scotland and Wales on health and education

08 December 2005

England has increased its expenditure in health and education at a faster rate than the rest of the UK since devolution according to ippr north - the northern office of the Institute for Public Policy Research - and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). 

A report published today (Thursday) on the impact of devolution on public policy spending reveals that England has eroded the traditional spending advantage Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have enjoyed in health and education. For the first time the study provides detailed analysis on the choices made by Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England and finds key differences in spending priorities.

Devolution in Practice 2006: public policy differences within the UK shows:

Between 1999/00 and 2004/05, spending on education and training has grown by:

• 56% in England - from £695 per head to £1,086 per head
• 47% in Wales - from £755 per head to £1,107 per head
• 43% in Northern Ireland - from £1,004 per head to £1,435 per head
• 38% in Scotland - from £852 per head to £1,179 per head

Between 1999/00 and 2004/05, spending on health has grown by:

• 65% in England - from £818 per head to £1,350 per head
• 57% in Scotland - from £997 per head to £1,563 per head
• 57% in Northern Ireland - from £940 per head to £1,476 per head
• 55% in Wales - from £917 per head to £1,421 per head

The research finds the devolved administrations have chosen to give greater increases in expenditure to areas such as culture and agriculture in comparison to England.

The report argues that any divergence of spending priorities must be careful not to lead to unacceptable differences in standards in key policy areas. Public attitude surveys show that while people support stronger powers for devolved administrations they also strongly favour common standards of public services across the UK.

Katie Schmuecker, ippr north researcher and co-editor of the book said: “Despite assumptions that Scotland and Wales have introduced high spending policies in health and education, like tuition fees or teacher’s salaries, England has seen the greatest growth in spending in these areas. If this exacerbates differences in standards of public services it would pose a big challenge for decision-makers across the UK as the public want to see common standards in key public services”

Professor Charlie Jeffery, ESRC Devolution Programme Director added: “The public have a rather contradictory attitude to devolution. The majority want to see common standards of public services across the UK on the one hand, but on the other they also want further devolution. A logical consequence of more devolution is likely to be variations in service delivery, so there seems to be a contradiction. However our research finds that this desire for common standards is likely to act as a strong force for convergent policies in key areas across the UK.”

For further information contact:

Katie Schmuecker, Researcher ippr north on 0191 211 2581 / 07709 428065 or
John Adams, Research Director ippr north on 0191 211 2645 / 07747 619665 or
Charlie Jeffery, ESRC Devolution Programme Director on 0131 6504266 / 07970 619716

Notes to Editors

1. Graphs and detailed figures, along with a two page brief of the key findings of Devolution in Practice 2006: Public policy differences within the UK are available on request.

2. All figures are in cash terms.

3. Between 1999/00 and 2004/05 expenditure on recreation, culture and religion has increased by 

• 11 per cent in England
•  31 per cent in Scotland
•  22 per cent in Northern Ireland
•  32 per cent in Wales

Between 1999/00 and 2004/05 expenditure on agriculture, fisheries and forestry has increased by  

• 18 per cent in England
•  30 per cent in Scotland
•  61 per cent in Northern Ireland
•  36 per cent in Wales

4. The book covers the following areas:

Public attitudes and institutions - Charlie Jeffery (ESRC Devolution Programme)
Divergent priorities and pressure for convergence - Katie Schmuecker and John Adams (ippr north)
Education - David Raffe (University of Edinburgh)
Early years education and childcare - Daniel Wincott (University of Birmingham)
Health - Scott Greer (University of Michigan)
Social Housing - Robert Smith (University of Cardiff)
Economic Development - John Adams and Peter Robinson (ippr north/ippr)
Child poverty - Liane Lohde

5. Devolution in Practice 2006: Public policy differences within the UK edited by John Adams and Katie Schmuecker free to journalists from ippr north.  The publication is the result of a joint project undertaken by ippr north and the ESRC Devolution and Constitutional Change Programme between April 2004 and September 2005.  It follows on from a successful venture in 2002 when ippr published Devolution in Practice: Public policy differences within the UK

6. Devolution and Constitutional Change is one of the research programmes funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It is a major £4.7 million investment in social science research set up by the ESRC in 2000 to explore the impact of the devolution dynamic and to feed the research into policy debates. More information on the activities of the ESRC Devolution Research Programme is available from www.devolution.ac.uk

 

Communications

• SIGN UP FOR IPPR NEWSLETTER
• BECOME A FRIEND OF IPPR
• IPPR PODCASTS
• RSS FEEDS