"The New NHS" (Hansard, 19 December 1997)

§ Dr. Brand
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to paragraph 5.19 of the White Paper "The New388W NHS" (Cm 3807) how the prescribing budget will relate to the unified budget; and if he will make a statement on the setting of the budget. [21363]

§ Mr. Milburn
The prescribing budget will form one of the elements within the unified budget, but the Primary Care Group will be able to choose how its total budget is deployed, and no individual element will be artificially capped.
All elements of the health authority's and Primary Care Group's unified budget will have fair, target, shares set by a weighted capitation formula. Practice level prescribing budgets will be set using similar methodologies to those used now.

§ Dr. Brand
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the impact of proposals in the White Paper "The New NHS" (Cm 3807) on the numbers of health authorities in isolated areas. [21365]

§ Mr. Milburn
We expect to see fewer health authorities covering larger areas. As the White Paper makes clear, however, there will be no central blueprint for health authority mergers: local decision rather than national edict will determine the numbers and location of health authorities.

§ Dr. Brand
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the impact of the proposals contained in the White Paper "The New NHS" (Cm 3807) on geographical equity of access to(a)fertility treatments, (b) contraception and (c) abortion services. [21366]

§ Ms Jowell
The White Paper "The New NHS" outlines a number of steps which the Government will be taking to improve the consistency of service provision throughout the National Health Service. We will challenge and address variations which are not based on the health needs and wishes of local people. We will aim for maximum consistency while still allowing appropriate local and individual responsiveness.

§ Dr. Brand
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to paragraph 3.9 of the White Paper "The New NHS" (Cm 3807) if the single unified budget will be capped. [21367]

§ Mr. Milburn
Yes. Primary Care Groups which take devolved responsibility for the single unified budget will be responsible for managing services within a cash limit, as health authorities and general practitioner fundholders currently are.

§ Dr. Brand
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the White Paper "The New NHS" (Cm 3807) how freedom of referral according to patient need and choice will be maintained. [21370]

§ Mr. Milburn
The White Paper "The New NHS" (Cm 3807) is fully consistent with general practitioners' freedom of referral. Primary Care Groups will be able to develop long term agreements with National Health Service trusts that reflect the views of all local GPs and are sensitive to their referral choices. The arrangements to replace the internal market system of extra contractual referrals, substituting adjustments to allocations for the former bureaucratic invoicing system, will cover the freedom to refer outside these agreements in special cases, combining the freedom to refer with the ability to fund.
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