§ Mr. Kimballasked the Minister of Health what increases have taken place in the last 10 years in the number of doctors in general practice, both principals and assistants, in the hospital service and the public health service, in relation to the population; and what estimate he has made of the number of doctors who will be available in five years' time.
§ Mr. BarberBetween 1954 and 1963 the number of principals in general practice in England and Wales increased by 1,641 and the number of assistants diminished by 557, an overall increase of 1,084 or 5.2 per cent. The number of doctors of all grades in the hospital service rose over the same period by 3,366 or 23.1 per cent. During the same period the population increased by 6.2 per cent. For the local authority service comparable figures are not available but the number of doctors in 1962 was 2,280. The total number of doctors who may be available in 5 years' time will depend on such factors as future retiring age, future rates of emigration and immigration and the output from the medical schools, which will increase as the result of the increases in recent years in the intake of medical students.