§ 2. Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the London area are estimated to be registered with (a) two general practitioners and (b) more than two general practitioners; at what cost to public funds; and if she will make a statement.
§ The Minister for Health (Mr. Gerald Malone)The problem is being tackled at a local level by individual family health services authorities and the information is not available centrally. Dual registration affects the distribution of general practitioners' remuneration but not the overall cost.
§ Mr. GreenwayWill my hon. Friend confirm that we meet in the high court of Parliament and that Parliament can handle questions to Ministers about beds, GPs and anything else? What is being done to improve the administration of the health service to ensure that 782 people do not appear on more than one GP list? It is a waste of taxpayers' money which could be better spent elsewhere in the health service.
§ Mr. MaloneMy hon. Friend is quite right: dual registration causes damage. It causes difficulties in assessing local health needs, and that is why we must work to solve the problem. It also means that some general practitioners receive funding, over and above that of their counterparts, which they do not deserve. However, I assure my hon. Friend that that does not increase the sum of global public expenditure. In my hon. Friend's own area of Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow, a list inflation team has been established to complete a number of important checks, which will, I hope, move towards the elimination of that problem.