HC Deb 16 December 1980 vol 996 cc136-7
12. Mr. John Evans

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to increase prescription charges.

Dr. Vaughan

The prescription charge was increased from 70 pence to £1 per item on 1 December 1980. My right hon. Friend has no plans at present for any further increases.

Mr. Evans

I am grateful for the last part of the Minister's answer. Is he aware that a considerable number of items being prescribed cost less per article than the prescripton charge? Will he consider giving a directive to chemists that, when that occurs, they should inform the customer, who could pay the price of the article and save the £1 prescription charge?

Dr. Vaughan

May I suggest that we wait a little while to judge the effect of the new £1 charge and the effect that it has on the take-up of prescriptions? There are already changes in the pattern of prescribing.

Mr. Thompson

What is the proportion of those who are given prescriptions who pay the £1 charge?

Dr. Vaughan

Those who are exempted from prescription charges amount to 64 per cent. of those receiving prescriptions. A further 5 per cent. are on season ticket arrangements.

Mr. Park

Will the Minister confirm that the income from the sale of six-month and 12-month prepayment certificates was taken into account halfway through the financial year, resulting in a deduction of £10 million nationwide? Does he accept that that was not conveyed formally to area health authorities and that the authorities had to pick it up from an appendix to a financial report?

Dr. Vaughan

I do not accept the hon. Gentleman's implied criticism. There is always a delay between a change in the charge and the recovery of charges. Overall, the new £1 charge will raise an extra £30 million, which can only be of benefit to the National Health Service.

Mr. McCrindle

What is my hon. Friend's reaction to the provocative posters appearing in chemists' premises under the heading "Tax on Health"?

Dr. Vaughan

I am glad that my hon. Friend raised that matter. I deplore the wording of the posters, which is misleading. The charge is not a tax. It is a reasonable contribution by a user, when he is able to afford it, to the cost of the National Health Sevice.

Mrs. Dunwoody

Is it not true that pharmacists are reporting more and more cases of patients asking them to decide which items they do not need on a prescription? Is it not also true that there has been a disastrous and frightening drop in the number of prescriptions being issued—about 19 million down on the figure before the £1 increase? How does the Minister explain that?

Dr. Vaughan

The hon. Lady is trying to put an alarmist side to the matter. Supposing that there is a small decrease in the number of prescriptions, we cannot have it both ways. We cannot ask people to take fewer drugs and then complain when they have fewer prescriptions.