HC Deb 15 March 1990 vol 169 c366W
Mr. Michael Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what allowance will be made for general practitioner remuneration in the light of his Department's non-issue of the child health surveillance fee claim;

(2) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that general practitioners receive sufficient supplies of child health surveillance fee claim forms by 30 March.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Stocks of the new child health surveillance fee claim form were issued to all family practitioner committees by 5 March 1990 for distribution to general practitioners.

Mr. Kennedy

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many electoral wards would qualify for general practitioner deprivation payments if a score of 16 rather than 30 had been chosen as the trigger point for payment; and what would be the extra cost.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

[holding answer 5 March 1990]: The number of wards (1981 boundaries) which have a Jarman score of 16 or more in England is 1,249. If deprivation payments were to be made at this level (16 or more) the cost would have to be met by reducing other fees and allowances within the remuneration system, to ensure that the average net income incurred by GPs did not exceed the level recommended by the doctors and dentists' review body and accepted by the Government. If the payment rate proposed for the band 30–39 was extended down to 16, some £30 million at April 1990 rates would have to be found by reducing other fees and allowances.

Mr. Kennedy

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the electoral wards where general practitioners will qualify in England for deprivation payments; and if he will indicate what their Jarman index score is.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

[holding answer 5 March 1990]: I have placed information in the Library showing the wards (1981 boundaries) in England which have a score of 30 or more and the appropriate local authority district. The table shows that there are 269 wards with a score between 30 and 39 which will attract deprivation payment from April 1990 of £4.90 per patient per annum, 112 wards with a score between 40 and 49 (deprivation payment of £6.40 per annum) and 73 wards with a score of 50 or more (deprivation payment of £8.50 per annum) giving a grand total of 454 wards.