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Region              |Number of practices                    

                    |expressing an                          

                    |interest                               

                    |February 1990                          

------------------------------------------------------------

Northern            |65                                     

Yorkshire           |64                                     

Trent               |57                                     

East Anglian        |36                                     

NW Thames           |78                                     

NE Thames           |58                                     

SE Thames           |61                                     

SW Thames           |58                                     

Wessex              |55                                     

Oxford              |61                                     

South Western       |85                                     

West Midlands       |70                                     

Mersey              |51                                     

North Western       |55                                     

                    |----                                   

Total               |854                                    

Of these 854 practices, around 150 had to be rejected simply because they did not meet the size criterion and did not wish to join with another practice, around 400 are likely to undertake preparatory work to enable them to become fund holders in 1991 and over 150 have indicated that they wish to consider becoming fund holders in 1992.

Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the names of the general practitioners or practices which have expressed an interest in becoming practice budget holders.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available centrally.

Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners and general practitioner practices will be eligible to become practice budget holders within each health authority in England.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The criteria for participation in the practice funding scheme will be set out in regulations made under clause 14 of the National Health Service and Community Care Bill currently before Parliament. However, as indicated in the programme "Funding General Practice" issued last December, copies of which are available in the Library, practices which have over 9,000 patients (or group together to meet this criterion), can demonstrate the ability to manage a fund and are adequately computerised are eligible to participate. It is not possible to state how many practices meet all these criteria.

Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners practices are now eligible to become budget holders ; how many have expressed an interest in budget holding ; if he will name those practices ; and if he will give the information by region.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my replies today to the hon. Member for Ross, Cromarty and Skye (Mr. Kennedy).

Natural History Museum

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications of the reduction of the Heteroptera sub-section of the natural history museum for research related to bed bugs, as vectors of diseases.

Mr. Dorrell : None. We are not aware of any new problems which would necessitate the Department sponsoring research in this area.

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Column 513

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications of any reduction of research work on fossils and fossil plants at the natural history museum for medical research.

Mr. Dorrell : None. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the Government's main agency for the promotion of medical and related biomedical research in the United Kingdom. The MRC receives its grant in aid from the Department of Education and Science.

Departmental Publications

Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions have been issued by his Department or the national health service management board in relation to the vocabulary or terminology used to promote, describe or present, "Working for Patients" and the National Health Service and Community Care Bill.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : None.

NHS Reform

Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been made since November 1989 to the list of 79 units preparing for self-governing trust status ; and if he will give an up-to- date list of those making plans for 1991.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 25 April at columns 217-18. An up-to-date list is as follows :

Northern Regional Health Authority

Freeman Hospital

Newcastle Mental Health Services

Newcastle General Hospital

Northumbria Ambulance Services.

Royal Victoria Infirmary and Dental Hospital

Yorkshire Regional Health Authority

Bradford Acute Services

Leeds General Infirmary and Associated Hospitals

St. James University Hospital, Leeds

Trent Regional Health Authority

Children's Hospital, Sheffield

Doncaster Royal Infirmary and the Montagu Hospital

Lincolnshire Ambulance Service

Nether Edge Hospital, Sheffield

Northern General Hospital

East Anglian Regional Health Authority

East Suffolk Community Services

Great Yarmouth and Waveney Priority Services

Norfolk Ambulances

West Norfolk and Wisbech Community Services

West Norfolk and Wisbech Acute Services

North West Thames Regional Health Authority

Central Middlesex Hospital

Harefield Hospital

Hillingdon Hospital

Mount Vernon Hospital

North West Hertfordshire Priority Services Unit

North Hertfordshire Acute and Community Services

North East Thames Regional Health Authority

City and Hackney (St. Bartholomew's, Homerton, St. Marks Hospital Trust

North Middlesex Hospital

Southend District Services

The London Hospital Group

The Royal Free Hospital

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Column 514

The Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

South East Thames Regional Health Authority

Brighton Acute Services

Bromley Acute Services

Bromley Mental Health (Ravensbourne)

Guy's and Lewisham Hospitals and associated Mental Illness Services

St. Thomas's Hospital and associated Community Services

South West Thames Regional Health Authority

Croydon Mental Handicap Unit

Croydon Community Unit

Kingston Hospital

Mid-Downs West Unit

Mid-Surrey General Unit

North West Surrey Mental Handicap and Mental Health Units South West Surrey Acute Unit

St. Helier and Sutton Hospitals

Wessex Regional Health Authority

Lymington Hospitals

Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases

West Dorset Acute Services

West Dorset Community and General Hospital Services

West Dorset Mental Health Services

Oxford Regional Health Authority

Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford

South Western Regional Health Authority

Bristol

Cornwall Mental Handicap Services

Cornwall Community Services

East Somerset

East Gloucestershire NHS Trust

North Devon

Plymouth Acute Services

South Devon Health Care Trust

West Somerset

Weston

West Midlands Regional Health Authority

Alexandra Hospital

Mid Staffordshire Mental Health Unit

Mid Staffordshire Community Unit

Rugby District Services

Walsall Acute Services

Mersey Regional Health Authority

Arrow Park and Clatterbridge Hospitals

Broadgreen Hospital, excluding Mersey Regional Cardio- Thoracic Unit

Crew Acute Services

Halton Community Services

Regional Adult Cardio-Thoracic Unit, Liverpool

Royal Liverpool Children's Hospitals

Royal Liverpool Hospital

Whiston St. Helens Hospital

North Western Regional Health Authority

Central Manchester Hospital and Community Services

Christie Hospital

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