§ 36. Dr. Horace Kingasked the Minister of Health the number of general practitioners in Great Britain who are receiving payments from the National Health Service.
§ Mr. CrookshankAt the 1st January, 1952, the number of general practitioners in Great Britain receiving payment from the National Health Service was 20,859.
§ Dr. KingIs the Minister aware that his answer means that the Danckwerts Award proposes to increase the income of doctors by £10 per week with £30 a week back money?
§ 37. Dr. Kingasked the Minister of Health what sum of money was paid in 1951, under the National Health Service, to general practitioners in Great Britain.
§ Mr. CrookshankFigures for the calendar year are not available, but for the year ending 31st March, 1951, the total amount payable to general medical practitioners in Great Britain for work done under the National Health Service is estimated to have been £51,644,000.
§ Dr. KingIs the Minister aware that his answer indicates that the average income of the general practitioner from the National Health Service is £50 per week and, while nobody would object to making up the money received by rural doctors and those with small lists, there seems no justification for the amount proposed under the Danckwerts Award?
§ 41 and 42. Mr. H. A. Marquandasked the Minister of Health (1) whether the negotiations on the redistribution of the central pool from which Health Service general practitioners are remunerated are actively proceeding; and how soon he expects them to be concluded;
(2) whether he will give an assurance that no additional payments into the general practitioners' central pool will be made, following the recent adjudication, unless or until full agreement has been reached upon redistribution and other matters referred to a Working Party.
§ Mr. CrookshankThe acceptance of the adjudicator's award was conditional on an agreement satisfactory to both sides being reached on a revised plan of distributing the central pool. Discussions 1894 are proceeding to produce a plan of distribution, but I cannot say when they will be concluded.
§ Mr. MarquandIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that his reply will help to clear up some misunderstanding which appears to exist, because it was part of the agreement which does not seem to have been generally understood that there should be this review of distribution as well as this adjudication on the size of the central pool, and that the two are quite inseparable?