§
[No. 8]
Clause 5, page 5, line 5, at end insert "or on behalf of an Area Health Authority or a Family Practitioner Committee".
§ 5.34 p.m.
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 8. Perhaps I might speak to Nos. 11, 12 and 13 at the same time. Amendment No. 8 will enable a special health authority to perform functions on behalf of an Area Health Authority or Family Practitioner Committee. The existing provisions of Clause 5(6) empower the Secretary of State to establish a special health authority to perform functions only on his behalf. This will be too limiting. Special health authorities will need powers to perform functions relating to family practitioner services under Part IV of the 1946 Act which, under the Bill, are to become functions of Area Health Authorities in so far as they are not prescribed for Family Practitioner Committees.
In particular it has always been intended that in England a special health authority should be established in place of the Joint Pricing Committee to perform the functions of checking and pricing prescriptions, which it is intended should be prescribed under Clause 7(3) as functions of Family Practitioner Committees. It is similarly proposed that these functions in Wales shall be carried out by the Welsh Health Technical Services Organisation, through a statutory committee, on behalf of the Family Practitioner Committees.
§ My Lords, I beg to move.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said Amendment.—(Lord Aberdare.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.