§ Mr. Patrick Jenkinasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the action of the North-West Regional Health Authority in reducing overtime payments to junior hospital doctors.
§ Mr. EnnalsJunior hospital doctors do not receive overtime payments but salary supplements for duties outside the first 40 hours each week according to whether they are required to be working or standing by at hospital or on call available for work. Their contracts are entered into prospectively and as individual doctors' contracts expire it is the duty of employing authorities when filling the vacated posts to reassess the amount and degree of availability to be contracted for in each post in the light of experience of the actual requirements of the post. In doing so the North Western Regional Health Authority has been acting in accordance with this procedure.