§ 23. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes to take to provide an all-night dispensing service in the division of the hon. Member for Tradeston.
Mr. McNeilThere are already arrangements under the National Health Service for obtaining drugs and medicines urgently required. An all-night dispensing service is a facility which cannot reasonably be expected except in the largest centres and, as my hon. Friend informed the hon. Gentleman last week, there is one shop in Glasgow open all night
§ Mr. RankinIs my right hon. Friend aware that the provision of one shop is not regarded as being a complete way of meeting this need in the city of Glasgow 184 and that in my division ward committees and private individuals are pressing the urgency of the extension of this service?
Mr. McNeilI will look at any submissions and any figures, but I am inclined to think that if there were any trading justification for such an extension it would already have occurred.
§ Colonel Gomme-DuncanIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that, politically speaking, it is urgently desirable to dispense with the services of the hon. Member for Tradeston (Mr. Rankin)?
§ Mr. McGovernIs my right hon. Friend aware that, as there is only one shop for this purpose in Glasgow, when people go there for urgent medicine they are frequently asked to return in three or four hours? There should be an extension of this service.
Mr. McNeilI think that is probably a pretty hurried conclusion. Normal general practice is that if a medicine or drug is needed with very great urgency, then the drug or its near equivalent is normally, in night hours, supplied by the general practitioner.