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Family Doctor Services

So says one of the architects of that petition. It is clear what the petition is about. I have heard the arguments from various quarters. In that petition we hear the hallowed cry of those who ask why they should have to open on Saturday, when their accountant, working in a similar profession, is not open on a Saturday. As one GP down in the west country put it to me in wonderful terms the other week, ““If the public are seriously worried about their health, they should be prepared to take time off during the week to come to my surgeries””—at times that suited him, obviously. What we have in the Opposition's petition is the articulation of all that. It says that GPs should be"““rewarded for working in socio-economically deprived areas,””" and continues:"““We also believe we should be free to determine the opening hours, size and locations of our practices””." That is a petition for GPs to sign telling us how important it is to look after their interests rather than those of the patients. That is the position that the Opposition have put them in.