§ Mr. Robin CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if(a) general practitioner fund holders and (b) national health service trusts will be obliged to publish annual accounts.
§ Mr. WaldegraveGeneral practitioner fund holders are required to submit annual accounts to the family health services authority (FHSA) within six weeks of the end of the financial year. These are included in the FHSA's accounts in summary form, which will be audited by the Audit Commission. The FHSA's accounts, including the summary, are submitted to me. There has never been a requirement that these should be published and I do not propose to introduce such a change.
There is similarly no requirement for national health service trusts to publish annual accounts. However, each national health service trust is required to present its
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§ Mr. WaldegraveThis information is not available centrally. Regional health authorities are announcing details of fund-holding practices in their regions as they approve them.
§ Mr. Robin CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many practices received the payment of £16,000 to help them prepare for general practitioner fund-holding status;
(2) what has been the total level of grant payments for expenditure by his Department for prospective general practioner fund holders; and what was the amount, if any, paid to practices not becoming fund holders in April.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[holding answer 19 March 1991]: The information, based upon estimates available at 25 March, on payments of preparatory allowance to prospective GP fund-holders is provided in the table. These payments have been used by the practices concerned to improve the quality of their management systems, which will be of benefit to patients. A number of those receiving payments in 1990–91 have chosen not to become fundholders from 1 April 1991 but continue to prepare themselves for fund-holding status from April 1992. Information on other payments made to potential fundholders in respect of computer systems is not available as it is not separately identifiable.
annual report, audited accounts and any report on those accounts made by the auditor at a public meeting which the trust is required to hold in every calendar year except the year in which it becomes operational.
§ Mr. Robin CookTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations cover publication of the annual accounts of general practitioner fund holders and national health service trusts.
§ Mr. WaldegraveSection 98(2)c of the National Health Service Act 1977 inserted by section 20(2)b of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 requires fund-holding practices to submit their annual accounts to the family health services authority. There is no requirement to publish these accounts.
Similarly, national health service trusts are not required to publish annual accounts. However, under schedule 2, paragraph 7 of the Act and National Health Service Trusts 547W (Public Meetings) Regulations 1991, SI No. 482, each national health service trust is required to hold a public meeting every year except the one in which it becomes operational, at which it is required to present its annual report, audited accounts and any report on those accounts made by the auditor.