Prescription Charges (Hansard, 13 July 1959)

§ 20. Mr. Blenkinsop
asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement regarding the future of prescription charges, in view of the recommendations of the Hinchliffe Committee.

§ Mr. Walker-Smith
I would refer the hon. Member to the replies which I gave him on the 26th January, 1959, and the 13th April, 1959. The Report of the Hinchliffe Committee is, of course, a factor to be taken into account in the consideration of the relevant circumstances to which I then referred.

§ Mr. Blenkinsop
Does the Minister not regard this as a rather disappointing reply? After waiting for a month for it we might have expected some further consideration to have been given. Would the right hon. and learned Gentleman not say that, after the recommendations of the Hinchliffe Committee and the pressure from the British Medical Association and other bodies, it is now high time that the whole question of prescription charges should be gone into and reconsidered, if not the charges abolished?

§ Mr. Walker-Smith
Of course, they should be gone into, in the sense that they should be the subject of active consideration by the Government of the day. As to whether or not they should be abolished, if the hon. Member will be good enough to look at paragraph 301 of the Hinchliffe Report he will see that it envisaged an agreement with the medical profession for the voluntary limitation of quantities to be prescribed, then a trial period, and, in the fight of the success of the trial period, consideration being given to the abolition of the prescription charge. Therefore, what the Hinchliffe Committee had in mind was a programme over a longer term than that suggested by the hon. Member.

§ Dr. Summerskill
Did not the Hinchliffe Committee say that financially, socially and ethically the charges have failed, and did it not give directions to the Minister and in fact say that if there had been a scientific survey before the charges were introduced the Government would not have done what they have done?

§ Mr. Walker-Smith
As I pointed out a month ago, the financial assessment is based on a misconception. As for the social survey, it is true that the Committee says in paragraph 291 that if any future changes are contemplated it would be advantageous to try a social survey first. That is obviously a recommendation to which I would give careful consideration.

§ Dr. Summerskill
Has the Minister noted the paragraph in the Report which refers to the Martin and Williams Report and states that if the Government had undertaken a scientific survey of the entire position before they would not have imposed charges?

§ Mr. Walker-Smith
I was concerning myself with the constructive recommendation as to what should be done in the event of another change. It is not really very rewarding to look backwards all the time on these matters.