§ 16. Mrs. Sally Oppenheimasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will allow National Health prescriptions for support stockings to be used in part payment for support tights.
§ Mr. AlisonNo, Sir. The patient should be supplied only with the article which the doctor has prescribed and which he considers clinically suitable
§ Mrs. OppenheimCan my hon. Friend be unaware that most women wear tights these days, that is not a question of vanity or fashion but utility, and that it seems rather unfair that women unfortunate enough to be afflicted with varicose veins should be condemned to wear garments soon to be extinct? As most chemists sell support tights alongside support stockings, and as my suggestion would not cost the National Health Service a penny, will my hon. Friend reconsider his answer?
§ Mr. AlisonI am advised that tights are liable to slip and therefore are not suitable as substitutes for surgical elastic hosiery when support is needed for the thigh or calf.