§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give a profile of practising GPs in England and Wales, based on age and sex. [39208]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 28 February 2002]: The information requested is shown in the table.
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 28 February 2002]: Part-time working among general practitioners (GPs) is growing as the numbers and proportion of women GPs increase. Many of these prefer more flexible working arrangements than are offered by traditional General Medical Services principal posts. One of the strengths of 761W the Personal Medical Services arrangements which were first piloted in 1998 is that it readily offers such flexibility. In 1997 4,823 GPs worked part time in England. By 2001 (latest available data) this had increased to 6,252. The equivalent data for Wales are a matter for the Welsh Assembly.