House of Commons Hansard Debates for 18 Dec 1991

Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 18 December 1991

HEALTH

Adoption

Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the information available to him on the range of charges levied by local authorities on couples wishing to adopt from abroad.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally. The Department has advised local authorities that there is no objection to prospective adopters being asked to meet such charges as the authorities consider reasonable for work associated with intercountry adoption.

General Practitioners

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much general practitioners in the United Kingdom have been overpaid under their last year's contract ; what is the average overpayment per general practitioner ; how much has been reclaimed ; how much has been written off ; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (Mr. Butler) on 7 November at columns 259-60 .

In 1990-91 estimated gross payments to GPs in Great Britain, under the terms of their contract, exceeded the intended level by approximately £178 million. The average overpayment per GP was £5, 951.

As an interim measure, an amount of £7.5 million--£250 per GP-- was reclaimed from GPs' remuneration in 1991-92, in accordance with the recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body in its 21st report.

The Government decided this autumn to waive recovery of £63 million of the overpayment, or £2,100 per GP, which was attributable to special factors unique to the first year of the new GP contract. Further decisions will be taken on the handling of the remaining sum in 1992, when we have further information.

NHS Trusts

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all the non-executive directors of the Freeman hospital trust and the Northumbria ambulance services trust, and give the remuneration presently received by them.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The non-executive directors of the Freeman hospital trust are :

Mr. Richard Middleton

Mrs. Marion Border

Miss Hilary Goodworth

Mr. John Ward

Dr. Roger Freeman

The non-executive directors of the Northumbria ambulance services trust are :

Column 156

Mr. Alan Ferguson

Mr. Peter Moth

Mrs. Jacqueline Higson

Mr. Albert Knight

Mr. Douglas Smith

All non-executive directors currently receive £5,000 per annum.

Northern RHA

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date the services of the chief executive of the Northern regional health authority ceased.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Mr. Douglas Hague stood down from the post of chief executive of Northern regional health authority on 13 November 1991.

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the present non-executive directors of the Northern regional health authority ; what recent resignations or new appointments have been made and when they became effective ; and what remunerations are currently received by non-executive directors.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The non-executive members of the Northern regional health authority are :

Mr. Tony Brown

Professor Michael Rawlins

Mr. Peter Reay

Mr. Roger Spoor

There has been one vacancy since 31 October when Mrs. Anne Galbraith resigned her position to become chairman of the Royal Victoria infirmary and associated hospitals NHS trust on 1 November 1991.

All non-executive members receive £5,000 per annum.

Mental Health Hospitals (Liverpool)

Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were committed under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1983 to care in mental health hospitals in Liverpool during each of the past five years.

Mr. Dorrell : The latest figures of patients formally admitted to NHS hospitals and units in Liverpool district health authority under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1983 are shown in the table.