§ Mr. KnoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when formal negotiations on the proposed new contract for general practitioners began; how many meetings have taken place between the general medical services committee of the British Medical Association negotiators and his officials; how many hours of negotiation have taken place; how many departmental papers have been sent to the general medical services committee of the British Medical Association negotiators in the context of the negotiations: and how many papers have been received by his officials from the general medical services committee of the British Medical Association in response;
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeFormal negotiations on the proposed new contract for general practitioners began in March 1988. They followed on from the Green Paper "Primary Health Care—an agenda for discussion" published in 1986 and the White Paper "Promoting Better Health" published in 1987. Since March 1988 there have670W been 18 meetings between the general medical services committee negotiators and my officials and some 100 hours of negotiations. Thirty-three papers from my Department and five from the GMSC have been considered at negotiating meetings.
§ Mr. KnoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times he has met the general medical services committee of the British Medical Association to discuss the proposed new contract for general practitioners.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI have had three meetings with the general medical services committee to discuss the proposed new contract for general practitioners on 8 September 1988, 9 February 1989 and 20 March 1989. The first two meetings were to review progress on the continuing discussions on the new contract and covered the policy aims of the revised contract very fully. The last meeting was a three-hour discussion of the eight detailed points that the GMSC wished to put to me and its requests for outstanding detailed information.
The GMSC has always agreed with me that revised regulations and a new statement of fees and allowances are required and should take effect in April 1990. We have agreed a number of points of the new contract including some originally proposed by the GMSC. I have stressed at all three meetings that I believe that we should make progress in the discussions because of the need to give GPs as much notice as possible of the new terms and conditions so that they can adjust their practices to prepare for them.
I explained to the GMSC at our last meeting that I would reflect on the detailed submissions it put to me and respond to them in the draft regulations and statement that I will now put to it. Further consultation will take place on the terms of the draft regulations and statement.