§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in theOfficial Report details of (a) the numbers of general practitioners employed, (b) the numbers of patients registered and (c) the cost of the general practitioners service, in the area covered by the West Lancashire family practitioner committee for 1979 and 1988 respectively.
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 15 June 1989]: The figures for Lancashire family practitioner committee, using the latest available year, 1987–88, are:
Date Figures Numbers of unrestricted principals October 1978 578 October 1987 673 Numbers of patients registered October 1978 1,395,862 October 1987 1,434,464 Cost of the service 1978–79 £10,543,000 1987–88 £38,328,000 This represents an increase in real terms of £16,690,000, a rise of 78 per cent.