§ Q1. Dr. Winstanleyasked the Prime Minister if he will transfer responsibility for the school medical service from the Department of Education and Science to the Department of Social Services.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)I see no case for doing so at present.
§ Dr. WinstanleyDoes the Prime Minister recall that the school medical service was set up at a time when there was a very real financial barrier between many children and the doctors, that this barrier has now largely disappeared, and that there is therefore a need to reassess the rôle of the school doctor and to try to bring him into closer contact with the general practitioner and other services instead of leaving him in his present position of damaging isolation?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not accept the phrase "damaging isolation", though I recognise that there is disagreement within the hon. Gentleman's own profession on this question. As the hon. Gentleman will know, a very high proportion of school medical officers are medical officers of health or on the staff of medical officers of health, so the service is integrated with the community in that way. Also, quite a high proportion of them are general practitioners.
§ Mr. PavittWill my right hon. Friend take it from me that there is a duplica- 688 tion and waste of very valuable medical manpower in this field? If he cannot transfer this service at the moment, will he have consultations with the two Ministers concerned to have a study made in the hope that we shall have a more rational approach?
§ The Prime MinisterI will certainly discuss it with my two right hon. Friends. This matter has been kept under review on a number of occasions. It can be looked at again at any time, though I do not accept that there is a waste of medical manpower by the present situation.