§ 18. Sir H. Williamsasked the Minister of Health the reason for the delays on the part of his Department in making payments in connection with the National Health Scheme; and, in particular, why on 31st March of this year the sum of £1,170,000 was owing to a firm the name of which has been sent to him.
§ 16. Sir Jocelyn Lucasasked the Minister of Health what is now the average delay in making the final payments to chemists; and whether this is still increasing.
§ Mr. MarquandFinal payments are delayed because the pricing of prescriptions is in arrears, but all chemists receive advances each month and supplementary payments whenever these are justified. The approximate average delay in authorising final payments is nine months. The speed of pricing is steadily increasing, and I hope that it will shortly keep pace with current work.
§ Sir H. WilliamsWould the Minister answer my Question—why £1,170.000 was due to a particular firm?
§ Mr. MarquandI do not know how much was due to any particular firm.
§ Sir H. WilliamsHaving regard to the fact that I communicated the name of the firm to the right hon. Gentleman, and that the figures were contained in the annual report of that company, surely his Department could have taken the trouble to check them up?
§ Mr. MarquandYes, Sir, but these payments are made locally on a regional basis, and there is no reason why I should seek to find out how much is due to one particular firm.
§ Dr. KingIs my right hon. Friend willing to meet representatives of the chemists to discuss their problems with him, especially ways of speeding up the check-up?
§ Mr. MarquandConsultations are continually going on with their representatives on this matter, and a significant improvement has already been achieved.
§ Mr. SummersAre the pricing offices still taking between four and a half and five weeks to price four weeks' prescriptions?
§ Mr. MarquandYes, Sir, I think that is about accurate. [Laughter.] I do not see much sense in laughing at this. There has been an enormous quantity of prescriptions to be priced, and it has been difficult to get expert staff. Additional staff has been taken on, and has now been trained, and we are at the point at which we can almost overcome these arrears. 1559 Meanwhile, no injustice is done to anybody, as substantial advances are made. I do not think that anybody is worse off.
§ Major Tufton BeamishWhat rate of interest is paid to the chemists who are having to wait so long for their money?