GP Fundholders (Hansard, 17 January 1994)

§ Ms Primarolo
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of general practitioner fundholders have spent more than their budgets for 1992–93.
387W

§ Dr. Mawhinney
This information is not yet available centrally. The Department is awaiting finally audited figures on fundholder expenditure from some regions.

§ Mr. Milburn
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to be able to publish a regional breakdown of the 1992–93 allocations retained by general practitioner fundholders.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
These figures are not yet available centrally, as the Department is awaiting finally audited figures from some regions. When these are available, the regional information will be published.

§ Mrs. Ann Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if it remains her policy that hospital treatment should be made available equally to the patients of fundholding and non-fundholding general practices and if she will make a statement.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
All patients are entitled to expect high-quality health care, regardless of whether the treatment is paid for by a fundholding general practitioner, or a district health authority on behalf of the general practitioner.

§ Mrs. Ann Winterton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received from right hon. and hon. Members identifying instances where is it alleged that different priority in the allocation of treatment is given to the patients of fundholding and non-fundholding general practices; and if she will in each case identify the establishment allegedly operating any such two-tier system.

§ Dr. Mawhinney
According to our records, six parliamentary questions—excluding my hon. Friend's—and 61 letters from hon. Members have been answered in the current financial year.

At 31 December

England¹ Wales¹

Ophthalmic opticians Ophthalmic medical practitioners Total Ophthalmic opticians Ophthalmic medical practitioners Total

1988 5,378 832 6,210 419 47 466

1989 5,514 784 6,298 436 43 479

1990 5,652 779 6,431 461 46 507

1991 5,745 757 6,502 471 50 521

1992 5,863 738 6,601 477 53 530

¹ Practitioners are generally counted only once even if they have a contract with more than one family health services authority. If however, they have contracts in both England and Wales, they will appear in figures for both countries.

At 31 December
England¹		Wales¹
	Ophthalmic opticians	Ophthalmic medical practitioners	Total	Ophthalmic opticians	Ophthalmic medical practitioners	Total
1988	5,378	832	6,210	419	47	466
1989	5,514	784	6,298	436	43	479
1990	5,652	779	6,431	461	46	507
1991	5,745	757	6,502	471	50	521
1992	5,863	738	6,601	477	53	530
¹ Practitioners are generally counted only once even if they have a contract with more than one family health services authority. If however, they have contracts in both England and Wales, they will appear in figures for both countries.