§ 11. Mr. Blenkinsopasked the Minister of Health what additional staff have been recruited to the Pricing Bureaux during the last six months; and what further staff 1534 will be required to deal with the extra work imposed by the prescription levy.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThe net increase in staff in the last six months is 36. It is not clear that any extra staff will be required by reason of the charge for prescriptions.
§ Mr. BlenkinsopIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is the view of the National Pharmaceutical Union that extra staff will be needed for this purpose because they, and many others, believe that the new system which is required for these charges will need a great deal more checking than is now necessary?
§ Mr. MacleodIt is true that the charges involve an extra process for the Pricing Bureaux, but there are other considerations. For example, we do not yet know what effect the 1s. charge will have upon the volume of prescriptions.