HL Deb 26 October 1995 vol 566 cc127-8WA
Lord Tebbit

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether it is in the public interest that the rules governing the charging for prescriptions for men over the age of 60 should be made by the European Court of Justice rather than by Parliament.

Baroness Cumberlege

The United Kingdom agreed EC Directive 79/7 on equal treatment in matters of Social Security in 1978. The European Court of Justice ruled on 19 October 1995 that the arrangements governing age exemption from prescription charges were within the scope of this directive. This ruling allows the United Kingdom to equalise exemption arrangements for prescriptions in a number of different ways and we have chosen to do so at age 60 from 20 October.