§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the payment of management allowances to general practitioner fundholders. [29147]
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§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonPayments of management allowances are made to fundholding practices to reimburse the additional costs incurred in directly managing National Health Service resources on behalf of their patients. Sections 87A to 87C of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 enable fundholders to receive an allotted sum determined in such manner and by reference to such factors as the Secretary of State may direct. Payments to fundholders for the sole purpose of management expenses should have been specified within the fundholding regulations. Amending regulations will be laid before Parliament shortly. Extra-statutory management allowance payments made in the period 1990–91 to 1994–95, estimated at around £9 million, and any subsequent payments made from 1 April 1995 until the statutory position is regularised have now been authorised.