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Out-of-Hours GP Services

The hon. Gentleman has raised a number of issues. As for provision in his local area, the issue that we have faced over a number of decades is that power is being devolved. That means that we are very reliant on local PCTs to make local decisions. We can have minimum standards, but we cannot rewrite the entire framework in which PCTs operate—in other words, take away their flexibility to respond to local need. Getting the balance right is quite tricky, but it is important that we work on getting it precisely right.