Home Think Pieces

Think Pieces

The NHS: a dysfunctional insurer

Written by | Saturday 1 January 2000

For example, through their tax and National Insurance Charges, UK citizens have to pay for NHS services whether they use them or not. They are not paying simply to guarantee fair access for anyone who needs healthcare, regardless of their ability to pay; they are paying for their own NHS treatment, even if they decide not to rely on it. Instead of rewarding people for removing their demand from an over-stretched public service, in effect we make them pay twice.

Exit will drive reform

Written by | Saturday 1 January 2000

Huge budget increases have not brought the exptected improvements in NHS performance. Nor are they likely to. Some 70% of the NHS budget goes in wages, and increases tend to go there first. Medical equipment and medicines are getting more effective, but they are also more expensive. Meanwhile, the population continues to get older, demanding yet more medical and social care. And because there is no competition, new money shores up out-of-date ways of working, rather than going into the development of innovative systems.

Don't stop the bus

Written by | Saturday 1 January 2000

With the arrival of new, more local, more innovative private bus companies, it seems that people are coming back to the bus. According to our report Deregulated Decade, this fightback has been 'truly remarkable', with buses emerging from a long period of managed decline to become market-led, quality minded, and capable of ending three decades of loss of custom to the car. And yet, local authorities want to continue to run them.

Roads and Congestion

Written by | Saturday 1 January 2000

Our report The Road from Inequity shows that country dwellers pay far too much for road space, while urban road users pay far too little. Car users add to the congestion in towns, making public transport even less reliable and attractive, because there is no economic reason for them not to. The CBI has calculated that the consequent delays, pollution and accidents costs the country billions.

Life in the Hot Lane

Written by | Saturday 1 January 2000

But reserving the route to specially-equipped buses would ensure that only a small fraction of the capacity of the rail right-of-way would be utilized. Only twenty buses per lane per hour are expected to use the system in peak-time in 2016 - taking up less than five per cent of lane capacity! Cambridgeshire expects to receive some £70 million of taxpayer's money to implement this sadly inefficient project. Could it do better?

The Political Conditions

Written by | Saturday 1 January 2000

The supposition throughout was that this was about economics. In fact many, if not most, of those who support entry do so for political reasons. While they advance arguments that this will be good for the British economy, they support entry because they maintain it will make the UK more influential in Europe, and more tied in with the development of a united Europe. Similarly, many opposing entry cite economic arguments but are opposed to the political implications of UK membership.

Do we need a Department for Education and Skills?

Written by | Saturday 1 January 2000

Even in those days, however, it seemed to me that the Department of Education in London was attempting to control in detail the day to day running of schools. For example, if a local education authority wanted to close, open or expand a school, permission had to be given by the Secretary of State. In practice, of course, the civil servants compiled the case for and against approval. In practice also, I personally obtained greater information where necessary at times visiting the school itself. Usually, but not always, the Secretary of State confirmed the approval or rejection given to him.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Think Pieces