26 Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will introduce legislation to bring family practitioner committees within the scope of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThe Act applies to health authorities but not generally to committees set up by them. Much of the work of family practitioner committees consists of matters, affecting individual family practitioners and patients, of a kind that have normally been considered in private since the inception of the National Health Service. Although, before 1974, executive councils were subject to the Act, this was only in respect of their executive functions and, even when discussing matters falling within the executive functions, they could by resolution exclude the press and public. I am not convinced that any useful purpose would be served by suggested legislation.