Prescription Charge (Refund) (Hansard, 19 December 1955)

§ 34. Dame Irene Ward
asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the refund of payment for prescriptions is in practice limited to persons on National Assistance that this is causing complaint; and whether he will discuss ways and means of ensuring that other people living on small fixed incomes have equal treatment.

§ Miss Hornsby-Smith
No, Sir. The National Assistance Board will refund the prescription charge to any person who satisfies the Board that, on the Board's standards, payment of the charge would cause hardship.

§ Dame Irene Ward
Could my hon. Friend explain, so that the public, and especially people who have difficulty in finding shillings, can understand what standard the National Assistance Board applies in assessing hardship? Is it different from the standard which is applied when people apply for National Assistance? This is very difficult for the general public to understand, and it has got into a muddle. That is what everybody thinks.

§ Miss Hornsby-Smith
I do not think it is a case of muddle. My hon. Friend's Question and, I hope, my reply will re-emphasise that those whose means do not come up to the standard universally laid down by the National Assistance Board are eligible to apply for the refund of any of the charges under the National Health Service. I think it will be agreed that it is necessary to have a common standard, and that of the National Assistance Board is the one which is applied in this case.

§ Dr. Summerskill
In view of the cost of administration, is not the only answer to the very desirable question by the hon. Lady the Member for Tynemouth (Dame Irene Ward) to abolish the charge altogether?

§ Miss Hornsby-Smith
As three-quarters of the revenue from the charges result from legislation imposed by hon. Members opposite, it is interesting to see how their view changes when they do not have the responsibility for finding the money.

§ Dame Irene Ward
Can my hon. Friend list the standards in HANSARD, so that everybody can see them?

§ Mr. Chetwynd
Was it not the original idea that the 1s. should be refunded to all old-age pensioners and not simply to those who happen to be drawing National Assistance? Is that not where the difficulty arises at present?

§ Miss Hornsby-Smith
No, Sir. The original idea was that those who established that they were already receiving National Assistance would automatically be allowed the refund. Those who were not receiving National Assistance—and who therefore, in many cases, probably had other means—would have to establish their need of the refund to the National Assistance Board.