Mr. Stephen Mulvany:

We have 6.9 GPs per 10,000. Scotland has more like 9.7 or 9.8 so we probably need a third more GPs. We have roughly 3,500 who we are funding publicly. That would mean something like an extra 1,000 or 1,500 GPs net. This is remembering that a good chunk of our current GPs are in the 55-plus age bracket so we must grow, recruit, including recruiting internationally, and retain enough GPs to make head room against that growth of a third. This is a long-term process unfortunately. In the mean time, an additional package of supports is also relevant.