HC Deb 27 January 1988 vol 126 c267W
Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals his Department has to encourage general practitioners to purchase desk top analysers and other technological equipment.

Mrs. Currie

General practitioners are not encouraged at present to purchase desk-top analysers. It is not yet obvious that the acquisition of technological equipment by GPs is more cost-effective than their continued use of the specialist services provided by hospital pathology departments.