§ 19. Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to ensure an adequate future supply of general practitioners in the national health service. [18403]
§ Mr. MaloneThe goal of the Government's medical staffing policy is to enable the national health service to secure an adequate and affordable supply of appropriately trained doctors in each sector and/or specialty, in order to provide a cost-effective, quality service to patients. We accepted the main recommendation in the second report of the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee, June 1995, to increase medical school intakes to 4,970 by 2000, which will mean an increase of 15 per cent. during the 1990s.