§ Mrs. Ewingasked the Minister of Health whether he will state the total amount of merit awards paid to consultants in terms of the National Health Service in categories A, B and C in Scotland, Wales and England respectively.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonThe present number of awards is allocated between Scotland and England and Wales as follows:
Category of award and annual value when drawn in full Number available to consultants in Scotland Number available to consultants in England and Wales A+ £4,885 13 87 A £3,700 44 286 B £2,175 130 850 C £925 260 1,700 The distribution may be varied from time to time in order to maintain parity in the percentages of consultants in receipt of awards in Scotland and in England and Wales. There is no separate allocation for Wales. The amount of each award drawn depends upon the nature of the individual contract.