HC Deb 20 July 2004 vol 424 cc165-6W
Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to the national health service in payments for general practitioners for maintaining a night call out service for patients in each year from 1974 to 2003. [173636]

Mr. Hutton

In 1974, £18.4 million is recorded has having been spent on payments to general medical service (QMS) general practitioners for out-of-hours responsibilities. In 2003, the total expenditure is recorded as £112.3 million. The full data is shown in the following tables.

Payments for out-of-hours services by general medical practitioners1
England 1973–74 to 2002–03
Amount (£000)
1973–74 16,080
1974–75 18,432
1975–76 23,918
1976–77 26,043
1977–78 26,160
1978–79 30,599
1979–80 36,348
1980–81 49,464
1981–82 56,052
1982–83 62,500
1983–84 65,762
1984–85 75,138
1985–86 81,251
1986–87 84,010
1987–88 92,255
1988–89 103,645
1989–90 112,980
1990–91 56,106

Amount (£)
1991–92 60,399,212
1992–93 59,714,582
1993–94 67,390,011
1994–95 63,081,368
1995–96 82,604,687
1996–97 128,292,714

Amount (£)
1997–98 126,587,811
1998–99 127,312,395
1999–2000 129,849,905
2000–01 128,869,510
2001–02 118,638,953
2002–03 112,315,234
Note:
1Data for QMS only.
Sources:
1. Figures are taken from the relevant summarised accounts for 1973–74 to 1990–91.
2. Annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals, 1991–92 to 1995–96.
3. Annual financial returns of health authorities, 1996–97 to 2001–02.
4. Annual financial returns of strategic health authorities, 2002–03.
5. Annual financial returns of primary care trusts, 2000–01 to 2002–03.