§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why, pursuant to his Written Answer to the hon. Member for Braintree (Mr. Newton) on 22nd November, Official Report, column 653, his Department can give no firm figures for the gross and net emigration of doctors after 1974.
§ Mr. EnnalsLike any other United Kingdom national, United Kingdom doctors are free to enter or leave the country at any time without informing any official body. Migration statistics may be obtained only by the indirect method of comparing information about all doctors on the Medical Register in a given year with those on the Register in the following year. Since doctors may let their legistration lapse for a number of reasons other than emigration, or may maintain their registration even though they have left the country, a complicated process of checking is necessary and this is inevitably slow. Figures for migration in 1974–75 should be available shortly.