§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of hours worked on average by general practitioners since 1979. [16422]
§ Mr. MaloneThe earliest available information is for 1985–86 and the most recent for 1992–93. Over this period, average general practitioners' working hours increased by 13 per cent., from 34.4 to 38.8 hours a week. Some of this increase is attributable to the reclassification of time spent attending educational courses as general medical services.
If time spent on-call but not working is included, the average commitment has reduced by 5 per cent., from 61.9 hours a week in 1985–86 to 58.8 hours a week in 1992–93.