§ 39. Mr. ButlerTo ask the Lord President of the Council whether he has undertaken any assessment of the demand among hon. Members for a general practitioner service to be provided in the Palace of Westminster; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorOn the basis of professional medical advice, successive Services Committees have accepted that it would be inappropriate to establish a general practitioner service in the House. For any medical matter, apart from an emergency, for which special procedures exist, hon. Members are expected to consult their own doctors.
§ Mr. ButlerI note that my right hon. Friend has not consulted hon. Members on this matter, but, in assessing demand for such a service, will he remember that many hon. Members are not registered with general practitioners in London and that the peculiar hours that we work would often preclude us from attending surgery?
§ Mr. MacGregorAs for assessing Members' views, the Services Committee accepted advice that a general practitioner service is not appropriate for the House, but of course it is always open to Members of Parliament to make their views known to the Services Committee.
On my hon. Friend's second point, as he knows, facilities are available in the House and provisions exist to ensure that in an emergency Members are conveyed without delay to a hospital in the immediate vicinity.