§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what average hours consultants on maximum part-time contracts work for the NHS and how many in the private sector;
(2) what is the definition of reasonable used in deciding how many half-days a consultant may take off for private practice if he or she is full-time or maximum part-time in the NHS.
836W
§ Mr. MaloneNational health service consultants are able to undertake private work as well as NHS work provided that it is not to the disadvantage of the NHS or NHS patients. Consultants employed on a whole-time basis may not earn more than 10 per cent. of their gross NHS earnings from private work. The provisions of the maximum part-time contract allow practitioners to carry out private practice without a specific limit and it is for the employer and the employee to agree the balance between NHS and private work. The actual number of hours spent on NHS work is for local agreement. Consultants on both forms of contract under national terms of service are expected to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to their NHS duties. Information is not available on the average number of hours such consultants work in the private sector.