§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, following the further representation made to him, whether he will now permit the pharmaceutical services to put their claim to independent arbitration.
§ Mr. EnnalsNo. I have responded in detail to the arguments which the Pharmaceutical Services Committee has deployed in support of its claim, and have not yet been told the grounds on which it finds my arguments unacceptable. I should not in any event think it reasonable to go to arbitration until there has been time to judge the effect of the new and fairer system of distribution of 27W pharmacists' remuneration, which I have agreed with the committee and which was introduced only on 1st January 1978. Copies of my recent correspondence with the committee have been placed in the Library.