§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what information he has about the comparative cost of providing family planning advice and services through(a) local health authorities and (b) general practitioners;
(2) if he will make a study of the comparative cost of providing family planning services through (a) general practitioners and (b) family planning clinics; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonWe are aware of local studies which have questioned the cost-effectiveness of transferring family planning services from clinics to general practitioners but248W information collected centrally does not enable a study of comparative costs of the two complementary services to be made. It remains Government policy that people should be able to choose their source of family planning advice, and we have no present plans to commission such a study.