§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many golden hello payments have been made to general practitioners in(a) London and (b) West Sussex, broken down by primary care trust level. [96081]
§ Mr. HuttonSuccessful applications from general practitioners are forwarded to the Department by primary care trusts for monitoring purposes. Information on the number of applications received by the Department relating to London and West Sussex, broken down by primary care trust level, is shown in the following table.
519W
Strategic Health Authority/ Primary Care Trust North West London Number of applications received Ealing 12 Hounslow 4 Hammersmith and Fulham 13 Hillingdon 9 Brent 10 Harrow 16 Westminster 5 Kensington and Chelsea 0 North Central London Barnet 15 Enfield 10 Haringey 6 Camden 0 Islington 0 North East London Barking and Dagenham 1 Havering 5 City and Hackney 16 Newham 9 Tower Hamlets 0 Chingford, Wanstead and 6 Woodford Redbridge 10 Walthamstowe, Leyton and 10 Leytonstone South East London Bexley 9 Greenwich 9 Bromley 17 Lambeth 26 Southwark 10 Lewisham 10 South West London Kingston 8 Richmond and Twickenham 9
Strategic Health Authority/Primary Care Trust North West London Number of applications received Sutton and Merton 16 Wandsworth 11 Croydon 25 Surrey and Sussex (West Sussex PCTs only) Adun, Arun and Worthing 8 Western Sussex 13 Crawley 3 Horsham and Chanctonbury 5 Note:
Due to the reconfiguration of primary care groups and trusts in 2002, the information includes applications received from primary care groups and trusts, which merged to form the primary care trusts shown in the table.
§ Miss Anne McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning the level of GP vacancies; and if he will make a statement. [98049]
§ Mr. HuttonI have received 29 representations concerning the level of general practitioner vacancies in recent months.
The increase in GP vacancies reflects the intention of primary care trusts to increase numbers throughout the country. The last GP recruitment, retention and vacancy survey, carried out by the Department for the year ending 31 March 2002, reported that 83 per cent., of vacancies filled in the period of the survey took six months or less to fill.
The Government is committed to recruiting and retaining more GPs. That is why we have introduced a range of measures, including extended flexible working and childcare and financial incentives for GPs new and returning to general practice and for those who delay their retirement.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are for general medical practitioners in the London Borough of Wandsworth. [97532]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department of Health does not collect the information in the format requested. However information provided from South West London Strategic Health Authority shows is that there are five general practitioner vacancies in Wandsworth.