§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in theOfficial Report the number of general practitioner firms that have applied to become budget holders in each health board area in Scotland; how many of these firms operate practices in rural areas; and when he expects to be able to confirm the final numbers of practices to be approved.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 16 January 1991]: So far, four practices—or in some cases groups of practices—have sought formal approval to commence fundholding from 1 April 1991. The health boards responsible are currently in the final stages of determining these applications. Details of these applications are provided in the table, including location as an indicator of degree of rurality.
Health Board and Location Number of Practices Tayside 2 Forfar Dundee Lothian 1 Edinburgh Argyll and Clyde 1 Helensburgh There is no time limit for the submission of applications, and a number of other practices are known to be working towards taking part in the scheme as from a later date.