Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many posts of consultant homoeopathic physicians in hospitals in England have become vacant during the past three years and how many vacancies in such posts have been advertised.
§ Dr. VaughanI regret that information on doctors practising homoeopathy is not identified separately in the Department's statistics.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how he proposes to maintain a service of homoeopathic treatment in the National Health Service for patients who wish to receive it by doctors who wish to practise it.
§ Dr. VaughanIt is for regional and area health authorities, within the resources available to them, to provide appropriate facilities for the treatment of National Health Service patients. I am confident that authorities will pay due regard to the undertakings given by successive Governments, and already confirmed by the present Government, about the continued availability of facilities for the practice of homoeopathy.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many representations his Department has received from members about the lack of provision in the National Health Service of homoeopathic treatment.
§ Dr. VaughanTen so far from hon. Members of the present House.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether postgraduate courses in all forms of medicine practiced legitimately in the National Health Service qualify for grant-aid under section 63 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
§ Dr. VaughanYes, but it is entirely a matter for the postgraduate medical deans 630W of universities to decide how they spend their limited allocation of section 63 funds.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many postgraduate courses of three days' duration or more in homoeopathic medicine have received financial support under section 63 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 during the past 10 years.
§ Dr. VaughanOur records show that financial support has been given to a small number of one-day symposia and lunch-time meetings in homoeopathic medicine since 1975 but to none lasting three days or more.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what funds he has made available for carrying out scientific research into the efficacy of homoeopathic medicine.
§ Dr. VaughanNone.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provision there is in the National Health Service domiciliary consultation scheme for visits to be made by homoeopathic consultants to areas that are at a distance from their base hospital following a request by a general practitioner to do so.
§ Dr. VaughanAll NHS consultants are entitled to claim domiciliary consultation fees and appropriate expenses for visits to National Health Service patients where these have been requested by general practitioners on the ground that the patients are not medically fit to travel to a hospital.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he has to disseminate information about the nature of homoeopathic treatment among the general public.
§ Dr. VaughanNone.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the immense cost and the side-effects of proprietary and non-proprietary allopathic medicines, what steps he is taking to provide instruction for the medical profession in therapeutic treatments such as homoeopathy.
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§ Dr. VaughanIt would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to advise the medical profession on the use of particular forms of medical treatment. The content of postgraduate courses for doctors is for the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education, and the postgraduate deans.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will establish a committee of inquiry into the demand for and provision of homoeopathic treatment and all relevant circumstances.
§ Dr. VaughanI propose to discuss the future of homoeopathy with homoeopathic interests. I shall then consider what further action I can usefully take.
Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has taken into account the views of the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education about the relevance of homoeopathy and modern medical practice in his policy that homoeopathy is a legitimate form of such practice.
§ Dr. VaughanHomoeopathy is one of those subjects which we shall be raising with the chairman of the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education when we meet him.