asked the Minister of Health if he will consider extending the development unit to include a section to advise family doctors on design and building costs of surgeries and on organisation and methods in general practice.

I have had no request on these lines from the profession, but my Department's help and advice is available. The Group Practice Loans Fund Committee advise on the design of group practice premises.

Cannot the Minister take the initiative in this matter without waiting for the profession to make a request? Is he aware that if he could increase the amount of service given by family doctors it would save a considerable amount of expenditure caused by unnecessary hospitalisation, and that it would be possible to do just that along the lines suggested in the Question?

The profession is not unaware of the problem, but I would rather that the initiative in this matter came from it.