§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the impact of general practitioner fund holding on district health authorities.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThere are 24 fund-holding practices —seven first wave, 17 second wave—and two smaller practices in the second wave are fund holding on a trial basis.
Only the first wave practices have completed a full year of fund holding and it is too early to quantify the impact of fund holding on district health authorities.
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§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will itemise how general practitioner fund holders have spent the money saved on hospital budgets;
(2) what is his estimate of the financial consequences of general practitioner fund-holding savings upon (a) non-fund-holding general practitioner practices budgets and (b) the budgets of district health authorities; and if he will make a statement;
(3) which general practitioner fund holders in Wales have voluntarily returned savings made on hospital budgets to district health authorities.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesOnly the seven practices in the first wave in Wales have completed a full year of fund holding. Savings can only be identified when the accounts have been audited and the audit reports have not yet been received.
Until such time as savings are identified it is impossible to consider their disposition or estimate the financial consequences, if any, on non-fund-holding general practitioner services or district health authorities.