§ Sir Russell Fairgrieveasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to safeguard National Health Service services to patients following the reduction in the funds available to university medical schools in Scotland as a result of the cuts in University Grants Committee finance.
§ Mr. YoungerI recognise that the necessary reductions in university finance are likely to have a disproportionate effect on the medical services in Scotland because university medical staff in Scotland make a greater overall contribution to NHS services than do their counterparts in England and Wales. Accordingly, my Department has today written to the health boards concerned inviting them to submit, in consultation with the universities, applications for approval of posts to replace 217W any which have been cut in university medical or dental schools but are considered essential to the maintenance of standards of NHS patient care or to the output of trained specialists. These applications are to be submitted by the end of January, when I shall consider to what extent the planned provision for revenue expenditure on the health programme for 1982–83 should be adjusted within the resources available to me.