HC Deb 06 February 1995 vol 254 cc29-30W
Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner fundholders have overrun their budgets; and by what level.

Mr. Malone

In 1992–93, the latest year for which audited information is available, 147 general practitioner fundholders overspent their budgets. The overspend was £9.8 million or 1.2 per cent. of total fundholder budgets.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of general practitioner fundholding practices and the total number of general practitioners who are fundholders.

Mr. Malone

There are currently 2,040 general practitioner fundholding practices and 8,760 general practitioner fundholders in England.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average budget for fundholders in 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94 and the comparable budget held by district health authorities for non-fundholders in those years.

Mr. Malone

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply the then Minister for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney), gave the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms Primarolo) on 20 June 1994, columns26–27.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the average waiting times for fundholders and non-fundholding general practitioners' patients; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Malone

It is not possible to calculate separate average waiting times for patients from general practitioners fundholders and non-fundholding GPs from centrally held data.