§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of family medical practitioners make use of night and weekend deputising 459W services in each region in England; if such doctors receive a reduced fee; and whether savings are thus made in total National Health Service expenditure.
§ Dr. VaughanInformation is not available in the form requested. The percentage of unrestricted principals in general medical practice in England with consent to arrange for deputising services in relation to their out-of-hours responsibilities was, at 1 October 1981, as follows:
Region Number of Number with Number with unrestricted consent use consent as a principals deputising percentage of services all unrestric- ted principals Northern 1,432 664 46.4 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,694 729 43.0 Trent 2,054 922 44.9 East Anglia 895 6 0.7 North West Thames 1,818 1,051 57.8 North East Thames 1,802 1,193 66.2 South East Thames 1,740 741 42.6 South West Thames 1,420 394 27.7 Wessex 1,325 295 22.3 Oxford 1,095 48 4.4 South Western 1,623 213 13.1 West Midlands 2,396 1,354 56.5 Mersey 1,158 600 51.8 North Western 1,850 1,394 75.4 England 22,302 9,604 43.1
Number of cases Appeals to local Appeals allowed Appeals NI Appeals allowed Where benfit tribunal wholly or in part commissioners wholly or in part Withdrawn 1977 1,167 132 28 12 1 1978 1,197 141 54 16 3 1979 1,082 145 64 15 8 1980 1,568 155 64 20 6 1981 1,487 165 66 14 4 Note:
Some of the appeals in a particular year against withdrawal of benefit relate to benefit withdrawn in the previous year.