§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to receive the first report of the professional advisory committee on general practitioner deputising; if he has laid down criteria for the measurement of the requirement that all deputising doctors must have experience of general practice and if he will publish the number of doctors employed by each deputising service at the present time who have not had general practice experience.
§ Mr. MoyleProfessional advisory committees, of which there are a number, are not required to report to me; their function is to ensure, in co-operation with family practitioner committees, that general practitioner deputising services in each area provide an efficient and satisfactory standard of service. This includes satisfying themselves of the professional competence of applicants for employment by the deputising service, and, in particular, that these have had adequate previous 537W experience in general practice—normally of not less than six months' duration.
Information about doctors employed by deputising services is not collected centrally.