HC Deb 01 May 1961 vol 639 cc893-4
30. Mr. Prentice

asked the Minister of Health what reply he has sent to the letter he received recently from the East Ham National Health Executive Council recommending that all retirement pensioners should be able to claim the refund of prescription charges from the Post Office, and drawing attention to the large number of cases of hardship which would not be relieved by the existing arrangements.

Mr. Powell

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of my reply.

Mr. Prentice

Will the Minister acknowledge that this letter has come to him from a body of people of all political views and no political views, including doctors and others of day-to-day experience in dealing with Health Service matters, and would he not at least acknowledge that it adds to the growing volume of informed opinion that the present arrangements are hopelessly inadequate from the point of view of preventing hardship?

Mr. Powell

I am seeing the Association of Executive Councils later this month.

Mr. K. Robinson

Will the Minister give an assurance that he will, in conjunction with the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance, keep these arrangements for dealing with hardship under review and look at them again in six months' time to see whether they are really doing the job of alleviating hardship?

Mr. Powell

I am willing to look at them at any time without waiting for six months, and if there are any improvements which can be made which are practical and fair, I shall not close my mind to them.

Mr. Monslow

Would the Minister not agree that it would be far better if we had an income scale fixed below which no prescription rates would be paid?

Mr. Powell

The present arrangements are based on scales which are designed to ascertain hardship, and I think that that is the right approach.