§ Mrs. Doris Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that there is no malpractice by members of the medical profession in charging a fee for services which patients are entitled to free of charge under the National Health Service.
§ Mr. AlisonDoctors are entitled to charge private patients a fee for any service given. General practitioners may not charge their National Health Service patients a fee for any treatment apart from certain specified exceptions. These include prescribing a contraceptive drug or prescribing and fitting a contraceptive appliance where the drug or appliance is not necessary to preserve the patient's physical or mental health. The doctors are not precluded from charging such a fee because the drug or appliance is obtainable free of charge elsewhere.
424Wpremium in Northern Ireland. The estimate for the current financial year is £10.8 million. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will in due course inform the House of the Government's decision on the phasing out of the regional employment premium.