§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, if he will state his reasons for opposing the designation of a third party to administer the patient option forms as requested by rural chemists.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI announced today, in answer to my hon. Friend the member for Newbury (Mr. McNair-Wilson) that regulations implementing the Clothier committee's proposals have how been laid before Parliament. I understand that the possible use of a third party to administer patient option forms was considered and rejected in the course of the negotiations between the representative bodies of the medical and pharmaceutical professions which led up to these new regulations. It would not be right for the Government to attempt to alter this detailed agreement between the two professions in response to arguments from individual members or groups of members of one profession.