Family Practitioner Committees (Hansard, 13 March 1985)

§ Lord Hunter of Newington
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Glenarthur)
My Lords, from 1st April 1985 family practitioner committees will be autonomous health bodies directly accountable to the Secretary of State. Within their statutory responsibilities they will continue to administer arrangements for the provision of family practitioner services; to monitor aspects of the quality of service provision, to investigate complaints and to inform the public, practitioners, community health councils, health and local authorities on matters for which they are responsible.

§ Lord Hunter of Newington
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord the Minister for that reply. Does the Minister agree that family practitioner committees do not have control of many of the factors concerned with family practitioner expenditure? How is it proposed to monitor this in the future? Secondly, will this new authority have responsibility for the recommended drug list, and if so, how?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, as regards expenditure, yes, the FPCs will be expected to monitor expenditure on the family practitioner services and also on their own administration. The management responsibilities of FPCs will encompass personnel, organisational and finance functions involving their own staff and administration. FPCs will be expected to operate within such guidelines and administrative cash limits as are notified to them.
As regards the limited list of drugs, any complaint that by prescribing or dispensing a scheduled item a doctor or pharmacist has breached his terms of service will be considered by the family practitioner committee in the normal way.

§ Lord Seebohm
My Lords, will the noble Lord let me know whether the new system will help or hinder closer co-operation between local authority personal social services and the health service?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, our belief is that it will help.

§ Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos
My Lords, can the noble Lord tell the House what will be the estimated full cost of running these committees once they have taken over all their new functions?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, I am afraid that I do not have the figures for costs in front of me, but I shall let the noble Lord know.

§ Lord Kilmarnock
My Lords, can the noble Lord tell the House whether the family practitioner committees under their new status will be cash limited? If so, how will that affect their capacity to employ more ancillary staff with the object of providing more services at primary level? Would all those doubts not be cleared up if the Government were finally to publish their Green Paper on primary care?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, cash limiting family practitioner services was one of the options which Binder Hamlyn was asked to look at, and until we have completed our studies of that report and the related issues no decisions will be taken on it. So far as publishing the Green Paper is concerned, the noble Lord will be aware that it pulls together other strands, apart from those contained in the Binder Hamlyn report. The noble Lord will have to wait and see.

Lord Wallace of Coslany
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that his negative answer to my noble friend Lord Cledwyn causes concern? The Government must have an idea of the cost of these committees. Will he eventually make the House aware of what the total cost is? Secondly, what will the relationship be in the future between community health councils and the new family practitioner committees?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, so far as cost is concerned, I am sorry, I do not have the figures. I shall of course let the noble Lord know what they are. To turn to the relationship with community health councils, the existing arrangements will continue and community health councils will have the role that they have at present. The importance of family practitioner committees generally should encompass district health authorities, community health councils and all those associated with them.

§ Lord Wells-Pestell
My Lords, I gather from what the Minister said that family practitioner committees are to be autonomous. If there is a dispute as to any action they take or decision that they make, who will be able to question it?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, we took the decision to change the status of FPCs—and I think that the noble Lord probably took part in the debates on the Bill last summer which dealt with this—because we saw an opportunity to increase the emphasis on primary health care within the NHS as a whole. The arrangements that will exist from 1st April will mean that FPCs are directly accountable to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State.

Lord Bruce of Donington
My Lords, will the noble Lord take steps to ensure that the figures for costs which he promised to let my noble friend Lord Wallace have are made available to the whole House? There is a public interest in this matter.

§ Lord Glenarthur
Yes, of course, my Lords. If the noble Lord would like to put down a Written Question I shall give the figures in that form; or, alternatively, I can put a letter in the Library. I can do whichever is suitable to the noble Lord.

Lord Bruce of Donington
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that that answer is not satisfactory? He promised to let my noble friend have the figures. All that I am asking is that he should let the whole House have them at the same time.

§ Lord Glenarthur
Precisely, my Lords. That was why I was suggesting a suitable device for doing that which would be available for all to see. If the noble Lord has any other means that he would like me to use, of course I shall do so. However, I think perhaps a Written Answer would be the best way; although if he wishes me to pursue another avenue I shall certainly consider it.

§ Lord Hunter of Newington
My Lords, may I ask the Minister whereabouts he says the Government are envisaging an expansion of general practice in the future with an increase in the variety of services offered, as is hoped for by the general practitioners?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, the noble Lord asks a very wide question, but it is the policy of the Government to make the best use of the resources available in all the different parts of the health service.

§ Lord Diamond
My Lords, does the noble Lord recollect that the normal practice of informing the House following a Question is that the Ministry, via the Private Office, advises the Library and that the Library has the information available? Is he further aware that, having checked that following a Question which I put to the Leader of the House, I find that it is working very well?

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, I am delighted that the noble Lord finds that the system is working well. If in this particular case that is considered to be the best way of dealing with the problem which has arisen, I shall deal with it in that way.