§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to safeguard the staffing position of the National Health Service in England and Wales following the decision of the General Medical Council to strike doctors off the register.
§ Sir K. JosephI understand that only a small minority of the medical profession have rendered themselves liable to erasure from the medical register, but if204W any doctors, notwithstanding their professional and contractual obligations, by continuing to withhold the statutory retention fees, were to put themselves in the position of not being able to provide their normal services to patients, I and the National Health Service authorities would take all necessary steps within our powers to maintain statutory services.