§ Mr. DavidsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what current NHS rules and practice enable the age of the patient to be taken into account by a general practitioner or a general practitioner practice, when determining whether to accept a new patient on to their lists; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 29 April 1994]: None. Guidance issued by the General Medical Council in May 1992 makes it clear to general practitioners that it is unacceptable to discriminate against groups of patients on grounds of their age, sex, sexual orientation, race, colour, religious belief, perceived economic worth or the amount of work they are likely to generate by virtue of their clinical condition.