HC Deb 24 March 1993 vol 221 cc614-5W
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement upon the effect of the new general practitioner regime on the promotion of cervical screening.

Dr. Mawhinney

There has been no change in the arrangements for target payments to general practitioners for cervical cytology. GPs receive target payments for reaching either 50 per cent. coverage of women in the target population (the lower target) or 80 per cent. coverage (the higher target).

Over 90 per cent. of GPs in England and Wales are achieving the targets and over 70 per cent. the higher target.

Vacant hospital consultant posts by specified specialties and as a percentage of all posts in these specialties England (whole-time equivalent) 30 September 1991
All vacant posts All vacant posts as percentage of all posts Posts wholly unoccupied by locums Posts wholly unoccupied by locums as percentage of all posts
Mental illness 74.3 6.7 25.6 2.3
Child and adolscent psychiatry 17.2 5.2 14.6 4.4
Forensic psychiatry 2.0 3.0 1.0 1.5
Mental handicap 20.2 11.6 11.0 6.3
Old age psychiatry 20.0 16.4 7.0 5.7
Psychotherapy 4.3 5.6 1.5 2.0

Lady Olga Maitland

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultant posts in(a) mental illness, (b) child and adolescent psychiatry, (c) forensic psychiatry, (d) mental handicap, (e) old age psychiatry and (f) psychotherapy, have been vacant for (i) longer than one year and (ii) longer than two years.

Dr. Mawhinney

The available information is shown in the table.

Consultant posts vacant for more than one year England (whole-time equivalent) 30 September 1991
All vacant posts Vacant posts unoccupied by locums
Mental illness 26.1 7.4
Child and adoloscent psychiatry 9.1 6.4
Forensic psychiatry 0.0 0.0
Mental handicap 9.7 5.6
Old age psychiatry 12.0 4.9
Psychotherapy 0.5 0.0

Teenage births and abortions
1990 21991
Number Rate 1 Number Rate1
Scotland
Therapeutic Abortions 6,814 38.8 6,564 39.5
Births (Live and still) 5,631 32.1 5,559 33.5
Northern Ireland
Births (Live and still) 1,871 29.5 1,794 28.9
1Based on the population of women aged 15–19.
21991 data for Northern Ireland are provisional.

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