§ 9. Mr. Henry Usborneasked the Minister of Health whether a decision has yet been reached in regard to Dr. J. Barg's application for registration under the Medical Practitioners and Pharmacists Act.
§ Mr. BevanI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave him on 30th June. I understand that this case raises exceptional difficulties, but the General Medical Council are doing all they can.
§ Mr. UsborneDoes this mean that no decision has been made; and if so, does the Minister not realise that it was on 28th June of last year that the husband of my constituent made application to be registered, and that ever since then no decision has been made? It is 13 months now since he made the application.
§ Mr. BevanI am not administratively responsible for the General Medical Council. I have asked them to go into this matter and they inform me that there are very peculiar legal difficulties connected with the investigation.
§ Mr. UsborneDoes my right hon. Friend not agree that it is very unfair that, as a result of difficulty in interpreting an Act for which the Minister is responsible, this person has to wait 13 months before he can get any reply?
§ Mr. BevanThe difficulties here do not arise out of the Act at all. They arise out of certain other investigations which have to be made into the applicant's history. Of course, it would have been possible to reach a decision much earlier, but it would have been an unfavourable decision.