§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the annual percentage increase in the salaries of general practitioners in the National Health Service in Scotland in each of the last ten years.
§ Mr. NobleGeneral practitioners in the National Health Service are remunerated, not by salary, but by capitation payments, and payments for certain particular services. Separate figures are not available for Scotland since payment is made from a remuneration pool deter108W mined on a Great Britain basis, the amount of which is fixed so as to produce a pre-determined average net income. The increases applied through the pool to the average net income of doctors during each of the last ten years were as follows:
Financial year Percentage Increase 1954–55 … … … … Nil 1955–56 … … … … Nil 1956–57 … … … … Nil 1957–58 … … … … 5 1958–59 … … … … 4 1959–60 … … … … 12.5 1960–61 … … … … Nil 1961–62 … … … … Nil 1962–63 … … … … Nil 1963–64 … … … … 14