§ Mr. GrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applicants there were on average for a general practitioner's partnership in 1985; how many there were on average in the last 12 months; what representations he has had from general practitioner about difficulties filling vacancies in their practices; and what is the average time taken to fill such vacancies. [14241]
§ Mr. HuttonThere were an average of 6.9 applicants per general practitioner vacancy outstanding at some stage during the period 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2001 in England and Wales.
The average time to fill each GP vacancy was 4.8 months.
There is no information available on the average number of applicants in 1985.
The Department regularly meets the General Practitioner Committee of the British Medical Association to discuss issues affecting recruitment and retention.