Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 1 February 2000.
Peter Lilley
Conservative, Hitchin and Harpenden
12:00,
1 February 2000
Will the Minister confirm that the introduction of primary care groups has resulted in patients now having to go to the hospital selected for them by their primary care group? The last vestiges of patient choice have been abolished, and patients, with the agreement of their GP, are no longer allowed to be referred to another hospital with a shorter waiting time or with a better success rate for the operation concerned.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
