§ 19. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Minister of Health what claims for increased pay for doctors he has received from the British Medical Association and other bodies; and what action he is taking.
§ Mr. TurtonA memorandum outlining a claim for increased remuneration for general practitioners and hospital staff has been submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself. I am not yet in a position to make any statement about it.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonWhat does the memorandum consist of? What are the doctors asking for? Will the Minister, to avoid trouble over this serious claim, come to a decision without delay? Is the right hon. Gentleman to use the argument that the general practitioner, with an average income of £2,300 a year, is already getting more pay than the right hon. Gentleman's Parliamentary Secretary, who has the whole service to look after?
§ Mr. TurtonI think it would be ill-mannered and, indeed, unethical for me to answer that supplementary question before I had informed the medical profession about it.