§ Mr. Christopher Hawkinsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will ensure that the qualifications of current staff of deputising services for doctors are reviewed and the proper qualifications of new staff examined and vetted;
(2) if he will take steps to stop the practice whereby an individual doctor can comply with the code of practice on deputising services while the group practice of which he is a member may use deputising services every night and every weekend;
(3) if he will ensure that the code of practice governing use of the doctors' deputising service covers daytime as well as night-time and weekend deputising;
(4) whether in view of the fact that information about usage of doctors' deputising services does not accurately reflect the extent to which such services are placed on call by doctors, he will introduce proposals for monitoring 63W doctors' deputising services based on the collection of accurate information about periods on call rather than usage.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThese are all matters to which we are giving consideration in the present review of deputising arrangements for general medical practice.