HC Deb 19 July 1995 vol 263 cc1277-9W
Mr. MacShane

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of savings made by fundholding general practitioners have been used to increase the value of premises(a) nationally, (b) in South Yorkshire FHSAs and (c) in Rotherham FHSA. [36174]

Mr. Malone

This information is not available centrally.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total cost of general practice fundholding in management allowances and start-up costs of buying computers since it started. [35524]

Mr. Malone

The available information is in the table.

£ million
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–951
Practice fundholding in management allowances 6 14 29 49 66
General practitioner fundholding computers1 n/a 12 18 19 19

The data are estimates based on information reported by family health services authorities.

1 Information on expenditure incurred in 1994–95 is not yet available. The information given is the total sums allocated.

2 Prior to 1993–94, centrally collected data did not differentiate between fundholding and general medical services computer costs. Therefore the data for years 1990–91 to 1992–93 for computers to support fundholding are estiamted from the total expenditure on computers to support general practitioners.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence his Department has on whether general practice fundholding has affected the principle of equal access to treatment. [35521]

Mr. Malone

The aim of resource allocation in the national health service is to ensure that purchasers are allocated their patients' fair share of local NHS resources. It is then for purchasers to secure the most appropriate balance of services to meet their patients' needs within patients charter guarantees and national guidelines—including the 1991 agreement with the medical profession, which made it clear that provider units may not offer contracts to one purchaser which would disadvantage the patients of other purchasers.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will review the ability of general practitioner fundholders to retain savings for up to four years; and how much of the total savings have been so retained; [35525]

(2) if he will review the rules affecting the savings made by general practitioner fundholders; and if he will make a statement. [35520]

Mr. Malone

The general practitioner fundholding scheme is kept under constant review, including how efficiency savings can be used for the benefit of patients.

In the first three years of the scheme fundholders achieved efficiency savings of about 3.5 to 4 per cent. of budgets set amounting to around £110 million.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recommendations in the 27th report of the Committee of Public Accounts, HC264 of the present Session, on general practitioner fundholding. [35582]

Mr. Malone

The Government will respond to this report in the normal way.