§ Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the present estimate of cost of ensuring equality of treatment between related and unrelated staff under the ancillary staff reimbursement scheme.
§ Mr. NewtonIt is not possible to forecast accurately. Few of the 30,000 family doctors in Great Britain currently employ dependants. Additional costs could be substantial if the more favourable remuneration arrangements encouraged doctors to increase salaries or employ dependants where they had not previously done so. I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) on 30 October at columns237–238 in which I outlined the present position in the prolonged discussions which have taken place on this matter.