§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the amended basis for calculating the deprivation index for awarding supplementary payments to GPs in Wales; how many(a) GP practices and (b) individual GPs in each family health services authorty area qualified for supplementary payment under the deprivation payment scheme in 1994–95; and what estimate he has made of the figures for the present year. [25606]
463W
§ Mr. RedwoodThe Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration has recommended that payments under the deprivation payments scheme should be based on the 1991 census Jarman scores. The Government have accepted its recommendation, which will take effect in 1995–96 and is likely to lead to a further £1.2 million being paid to doctors in Wales, an increase of 66 per cent. This excludes the increase due to the upgrading of the payment levels per patient in each of the deprivation bands following the review body's award for 1995–96.
The number of GP practices and individual GPs with patients in deprived wards at 1 April 1994 is given in the following table:
FHSA GP practices GPs Clwyd 19 45 Dyfed 1 1 Gwent 64 134 Gwynedd 28 70 Mid Glamorgan 95 224 Powys 6 22 South Glamorgan 49 131 West Glamorgan 43 111 Wales 305 738 As a result of the revision of the scheme, it is not yet possible to make a reliable estimate in respect of the present year.