§ Mr. Hoodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what special transport facilities he is giving to general practitioners who, in order to discharge their duties, must travel through very difficult terrain, or which requires the crossing of lochs and rivers in rural Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythGeneral practitioners are responsible for making their own transport arrangements, and the costs which they incur in so doing are met from the generality of fees and allowances. In addition, for those doctors who, in the course of the discharge of their practice duties, encounter difficult terrain and water journeys, my right hon. and learned Friend makes compensatory payments through the Scottish rural practices fund. The operation of this fund takes account of particular factors, such as the distance of patients' homes from the practice, the use of footpaths and travel by water.
§ Mr. Hoodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of new full-time doctors needed to cover the need for primary care in the rural parts of Scotland.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe number of general medical practitioners practising in Scotland is kept under constant review by the Scottish medical practices committee whose duty it is to determine the adequacy of general medical services in each health board area. My right hon. and learned Friend has no evidence that the existing number of doctors is inadequate to meet the needs of patients in rural areas.
§ Mr. Hoodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what urgent steps he is taking in order to solve the problems facing doctors in charge of primary care in rural Scotland, particularly in remote and low populated areas,
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe position of general medical practitioners in rural areas is currently being considered by my right hon. and learned Friend in the course of the review of primary health care, which followed publication of the Government's consultative document "Primary Health Care: An Agenda for Discussion". The conclusions reached on this review will be announced shortly in a White Paper.