§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) in how many cases in each year since 1979 family practitioner committees deducted prescription costs from general medical practitioners, remuneration; and in which National Health Service regions those cases occurred;
(2) in how many cases in each year since 1979 local medical committees invoked their powers under section 20 of the National Health Service Regulations 1974; and in which National Health Service regions such cases occurred.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyInformation for the period prior to August 1988 is no longer held in the Department. For the period since August 1988 the table shows for each region, on the basis of the information reported to the Department, the number of cases considered by local medical committees (LMCs) under regulation 20 of the NHS (Service Committees and Tribunal) Regulations 1974, the number of cases in which LMCs decided that the substances should not have been prescribed, and the total number of cases in which the cost of the prescription was recovered from the GP concerned.
195W
Region Cases considered by LMCs LMC decisions against the GP All decisions to recover the cost from the GP2 Oxford 1 0 12 South East Thames 2 2 11 South Western 3 1 19 South West Thames 10 1 3 Trent 7 0 1 Wessex 2 1 11 West Midlands 1 0 9 Yorkshire 12 2 2 1 The figures are based on information provided by Family Practitioner Committees (FPCs) and Local Medical Committees (LMCs). 2 Includes cases determined by the Family Practitioner Committee without reference to the Local Medical Committee by agreement with the GP concerned.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many cases in each year since 1979 PD8 inquiries were undertaken into individual doctors' prescribing practices; and in which National Health Service regions these inquiries were carried out.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyInquiries into the prescribing of practices whose costs overall are significantly above the local average (previously known as PD8 inquiries) are undertaken by medical officers of the Department's regional medical service (RMS). RMS boundaries are not conterminous with NHS regional boundaries and it is therefore not possible to provide information in exactly the form requested. The RMS is organised in six divisions and covers the NHS regions as follows:
RMS Division 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Eastern 121 104 97 87 72 24 43 87 55 143 143 East Midland 90 67 35 89 110 31 34 47 92 93 129 North Eastern 92 62 49 70 62 33 14 116 114 94 128 North Western 161 82 50 121 96 26 53 63 143 114 99 Southern 121 91 35 101 59 17 36 34 105 84 168 Western 143 94 87 144 120 46 56 48 101 143 77 TOTALS 728 500 353 612 519 177 236 395 610 671 744