§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish a table showing the number of patients registered with general practitioners for National Health Service contraceptive services in England in 1986;
(2) how many general practitioners are registered to provide a National Health Service family planning service to their patients in England; and how many premises are involved.
§ Mr. NewtonIn 1986 approximately 2.5 million women received contraceptive services from general medical practitioners in England. At 1 October 1986, 23,928 general medical practitioners in England under contract with family practitioner committees provided contraceptive services.
I regret that information as to how many premises were involved is not held centrally.
§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total cost of the general practitioner provision for National Health Service family planning services to patients for 1986 in England.
§ Mr. NewtonThe total cost of family planning services provided by general practitioners in England is estimated to have been some £48 million in 1986–87. This includes fees paid to general practitioners and the cost of drugs, but excludes practice expenses directly reimbursed to general practitioners.
§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will publish a table showing the fees claimed per patient per year from the National Health Service centrally by general practitioners for providing each of the available contraceptive methods;
(2) if the fees claimed from the National Health Service centrally by general practitioners for providing each of the available contraceptive methods per patient per year are standard for all areas in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. NewtonThe fees payable to general medical practitioners for the provision of contraceptive services under the National Health Service are published in the "Statement of Fees and Allowances Payable to General Medical Practitioners in England and Wales". Copies of the statement are held in the Library.
The fees represent payment for services provided over the course of 12 months. The intrauterine device fee (£33.15) is payable where the doctor inserts the device and gives any necessary after care. The ordinary fee (£9.90) is payable for the provision of all other types of contraceptive services including any necessary after care. These fees are standard for all areas in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish figures for each year since 1979758W showing the comparative cost of providing family planning services by general practitioners and family planning clinics per patient per year.
§ Mr. Tony NewtonFigures are not available to allow costs to be given on a comparable basis.
§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish figures for each year since 1979 showing the number of people receiving family planning services from(a) general practitioners and (b) family planning clinics.
§ Mr. NewtonThe figures are contained in the table which relates to England only.
Patients seen by health authority family planning services (clinic and domiciliary) ('000s) Estimated number of patients receiving contraceptive services from General Medical Practitioners ('000s) 1979 1510.3 1921.8 1980 1509.8 2023.9 1981 1488.9 2091.5 1982 1477.5 2190.6 1983 1485.4 2358.1 1984 1524.0 2374.4 1985 1493.9 2455.8 1986 1446.3 2571.0
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make it his policy to refrain from imposing charges for family planning services: and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) on 26 October at column157.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services why family planning services were not included in the White Paper on primary health care (Cm. 249); and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonWe have no proposals for changes related specifically to family planning, though our plans to improve the responsiveness of primary care provision generally to consumer needs should benefit those using family planning services provided by general practitioners.