Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have given advice and direction to GPs on their mandatory working hours; and what assessment they have made of whether GPs working their mandatory hours would lead to a reduction in the number of patients referred to Accident and Emergency departments without first being seen by their GP.

We have provided no such advice or direction as general practitioners are independent contractors with no mandatory working hours Therefore, no specific assessment has been made.