HC Deb 03 August 1971 vol 822 cc1323-4
20. Dame Irene Ward

Sir K. Joseph

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to people other than the approximately 23 million people covered by the wide automatic exemptions for children under 15; people aged 65 and over; people receiving supplementary benefit or family income supplement; patients suffering from specified medical conditions; expectant and nursing mothers; and war pensioners for their accepted disablements. The number of exemption certificates issued in Great Britain in the 13 weeks ended 22nd June, 1971, to people who applied for them—[HON. MEMBERS: "TOO long."]—I apologise for the length of the reply, but the Question requires a full answer and it cannot be given quickly—on grounds of income was about 44,000, more than 10 times as many as during the preceeding three months. No reliable estimate can be made of the number of people who, during any period, both need prescriptions and are eligible for exemptions on income grounds.

Dame Irene Ward

Does my right hon. Friend agree—I am sure that he does—that it is a difficult estimate to make, in view of all the difficulties which his Department seems to have, which is understandable, in finding all the people whom we are anxious to help? Would it not be rather a good idea to ask the Prime Minister's think tank—[HON. MEMBERS: "Sink tank!"]—which probably has much more time than my right hon. Friend, to look into the matter of estimating and finding those who are in need, because we certainly want to help them far more than all those odd people sitting opposite?

Sir K. Joseph

I take all my hon. Friend's suggestions very seriously indeed. But we are here faced with the problem which the Labour Government had, of trying to get into the hands of minorities the help which hon. Members on both sides of the House want to get to them. This is a question of persisting in our efforts.

Dr. Summerskill

Will the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that he has now repented for the sin of his plans for the infamous cost-related prescription charge scheme, that those plans have now been permanently abandoned, and that he will not attempt to replace them by an increase in the basic prescription charge?

Sir K. Joseph

That does not arise immediately from the Question. I am still considering the outcome of the rational dialogue which I undertook to have with the professions.