HC Deb 25 January 1999 vol 324 cc107-8W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to appoint a pharmacist to membership of each primary care group; [66657]

(2) when primary care groups will have their membership expanded to include a community optician. [66656]

Mr. Denham

Pharmacists and opticians are recognised as important stakeholders in the community and primary care group boards have the power to co-opt them onto the board so as to make proper use of their skills and knowledge, but we do not intend to require a pharmacist or optician member on all boards.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from community health councils regarding the composition of primary care groups. [66652]

Mr. Denham

The Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales has been involved with discussions about the establishment of primary care groups since February 1998.

Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons dentists were excluded from the membership of primary care groups. [66655]

Mr. Denham

Dentists are not excluded from primary care groups. Dentists are recognised as important stakeholders in the community and primary care group boards have the power to co-opt them onto the board so as to make proper use of their skills and knowledge, but we do not intend to require a dentist member on all boards.

Mr. Rendel

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 18 January 1999,Official Report, columns 381–82, what estimate he has made of the annual number of general practitioner appointments with patients which will have to be covered by either locum GPs or other GPs within the practices, as a result of GP participation in the administration of primary care groups. [67253]

Mr. Denham

We have put in place a framework of allowances for primary care group board members that enables general practitioner practices to claim locum costs to cover the absence on PCG business of a member of the practice. The number of GP appointments that may have to be covered by either locum GPs or other GPs within the practices as a result of GP participation in the administration of PCGs is entirely dependent upon how each of the 481 PCG boards organises its business and to what degree that business is conducted within individual GPs' surgery hours.