North Wales Conservative AM Peter Rogers has called for up to 200 prescription pricing jobs to be relocated from Cardiff to north Wales.

He claims the system, which processes payments to pharmacists for the drugs they prescribe to NHS patients, is inefficient.

The current system is falling apart and radical steps have to be taken Tory AM Peter Rogers

Mr Rogers said there is a huge backlog which has been compounded by staffing issues.

The Welsh Assembly has confirmed the payments are four months behind but added that a recovery plan has been drawn up.

Under the current system, the amount owed to a pharmacists is estimated and later adjusted once the actual figures have been calculated.

However, Mr Rogers claims that staffing problems in south Wales have effected the systems efficiency.

He believes the system, which serves pharmacists throughout Wales, could be operated more effectively in north Wales.

Pharmacist payments are four months late

"There is a chronic recruitment problem in Cardiff, where as soon as pricers become computer proficient they are moving to better paid jobs in call centres in south Wales," he said.

"Vacant high-tech facilities in Bangor and St Asaph could be used.

"The current system is falling apart and radical steps have to be taken.

"It's time for Rhodri Morgan to prove that the assembly is for the whole of Wales and not just those living around the M4 corridor."

The assembly said, however, a whole scale relocation of operations at this stage may not help.

New system

The unit which makes the payments has given assurances they are on track to return to paying on time by July 2002.

A spokesperson said: "The future location of services is a matter for the Bro Taf Health Authority, which administers the scheme.

"Modernising the current manual system is an issue which the assembly is currently looking at.

"A new electronic prescribing facility will be brought in as soon as is practicable."