HC Deb 03 July 1978 vol 953 cc62-3W
Mr. Mike Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East—Official Report, 5th August 1976, column 1020, he will (a) list the kinds of research activity by general medical practitioners which could involve a breach of their terms of service and (b) indicate any such regulations which could be held to have been contravened in the course of the promotional trial in question.

Mr. Ennals

A general practitioner's terms of service require him to order, by issuing a National Health Service prescription, any drugs or appliances which are needed for his patient's treatment. Provided the research activity falls within these requirements and no fee is received for treatment he would be unlikely to be in breach of his terms of service so far as prescribing is concerned. However, this is a matter which would have to be investigated by a service committee by reference to the facts of the particular case; and since a practitioner found in breach has a right of appeal to the Secretary of State against that finding it would not be right for me to comment further on the particular trial to which my hon. Friend refers.

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