evidence: Historic public spending - Since 2002/3, on average, per capita health spending in Northern Ireland has been around 7% higher than England and around 4% lower than Scotland – though with wide fluctuations from year to year. - As in the rest of the UK, health spending in Northern Ireland has grown significantly over time: total spending has increased by nearly 67% in real terms since 2002/3. That’s the second-largest increase among the UK nations after England. Per capita spending has increased by 63%, the highest across the four UK nations. [...] - Since 2016/17, public spending on social care across all age groups in Northern Ireland has been rising faster than the rest of the UK and per capita spending is now around a fifth higher than in Wales and Scotland, and 43% higher than in England.