Prime Minister's question asked in the House of Commons, by Sion Simon (Labour). It was answered on Wednesday, 7 May 2008 on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Engagements

Question: Do people want the right to see their doctors in the evenings and at weekends, or are the Tories right to scrap that right to choice and turn the clock back?

Answer: The vast majority of British people want more access to their GPs in the evenings and at weekends, and the vast majority of British people welcome the vote by the British Medical Association to give an extra three hours of medical services either on an evening or at the weekend in half the areas of the United Kingdom. I am pleased that that service is now starting. That is why it is surprising that the Conservative health spokesman said in Pulse magazine on 29 April that he wants to restore to GPs the power to make that decision, and presumably also the power to block the extension of primary care to new providers. I do not believe that the Conservative party is acting in the interests of the national health service, and that is the tradition of the Conservative party.

Secondary information