§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action his Department has taken in respect of the report on general practitioners fundholding produced by Dr. John Howie; if this report has been circulated to Scotland's health boards; and if his Department is now undertaking additional research on this issue. [28616]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Department has considered the conclusions of the report and has instigated further work on the development of weighted capitation budget setting.
The report has not been formally issued to health boards, but was launched at a conference in March 1995, attended by around 100 invited participants representing primary care, policy making and research interests in the health service in Scotland.
Additional work, in the form of a national evaluation of total purchasing, which is a development of fundholding, is being undertaken as a joint project between the Departments of Health in England and Wales, and in Scotland.