§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that no general practitioners are required to cease non-emergency extra-contractual referrals if ECR budgets become overspent.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 17 February 1993]: Health boards are required to ensure that patients are treated within the time scales referred to in the patients charter. From monitoring information provided to the Department, there is no evidence to suggest that health boards are restricting non-emergency extra-contractual referrals due to budget constraints.