§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is the aim of Her Majesty's Government that all general practices should end up, individually or in combination, as budget holders.
§ Mr. MellorThe system of GP practice budgets as set out in NHS review working paper 3 is completely voluntary. From April 1991 onwards, larger practices with 11,000 or more patients on their lists and groupings of smaller practices will be able to apply to have a budget. Any extension to the scheme, such as a relaxation in the criterion of the size of practice, would need to be considered in the light of experience gained from the operation of the scheme.
787W
§ Mr Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what details he can give of his intentions for each band of supplementary compensation payable to general practices in areas of dispersed population.
§ Mr. MellorAt our meeting on 4 May the general medical services committee negotiators and I agreed that the present system of rural practice payments needed to be updated. Work on revising the scheme has now been taken out of the present consultations and will be considered by the central advisory committee on rural practice payments. Detailed considerations will be a matter for this committee.