§ Mr. Michael MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the latest date on which general practitioner principals received his letter on the proposed new contract; by what date they are required to respond; what previous notice had been given of the proposals under consideration; what agreement there was on the488W confidentiality of negotiations between himself and the General Medical Services Committee; and whether this agreement was breached.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeDespatch to all GPs of my proposals for changing the GP's term of service and remuneration system, set out in the booklet "A New Contract", commenced on 23 February 1989. I have no reason to believe that the postal authorities were unable to deliver within a few days of that date. The purpose of the 489W document was to inform GPs of the Goverment's plans. No specific response was called for because the contents were and continue to be the subject of consultation with the GP's representatives, the General Medical Services Committee (GMSC), although I am pleased to say that many GPs are using the "helpline" service we set up.
Notice of the proposals was given in the White Paper "Promoting Better Health" (Cm 249) published in November 1987, which announced the Government's plans for improving the primary health care services. "A New Contract" is the culmination of a year's detailed consultation with the GMSC.
It was agreed with the GMSC that consultation should proceed on a confidential basis on the understanding that either party could terminate the arrangement by giving the other due notice. The GMSC chose to bring the confidentiality arrangement to an end on 16 February and I was informed of this intention on 9 February by the chairman of the GMSC.