§ 7. Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimates he has made of the total cost of abolishing prescription charges to children aged 16 years when the school leaving age is raised to 16 years.
§ Mr. AlisonInformation for such an estimate is not available.
§ Mr. AshtonWhy has the Minister made the decision that prescription charges shall not be free? Is it not an established practice in this country that people who are too old or not old enough to work shall have free prescriptions? When the school leaving age went up from 14 to 15, prescription charges exemption went up. Why should the exemption not now go up to 16 years?
§ Mr. AlisonWe did not make the decision. The Labour Administration made the decision for the cut-off at this point. The cut-off is rational. It is related to health and medical needs, not to any other consideration.