§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what revenue contribution would be made to the National Health Service if a fee of £1 were charged to patients for each consultation with their general practitioner, excluding the same categories of persons who are exempt from the payment 531W of prescription charges or from paying fees for dental treatment.
§ Dr. VaughanAbout one third of patients would be liable to pay the charge proposed. It is estimated that they consult their doctors just over 3½ times a year. On this basis the additional gross revenue might be about £50 million a year in England, but after allowing for additional administrative costs and any fall in the number of consultations following the introduction of such a charge, the net revenue would be somewhat less than this.