§ LORD ARCHIBALDMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of the increased support in the medical profession and generally for the labelling of medicines, they will make regulations to provide that in the case of National Health Service prescriptions the pharmacist must label all medicines unless the prescribing doctor has indicated that this is not to be done.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (BARONESS SEROTA)My Lords, the present convention is that a pharmacist labels a dispensed medicine with the name only when instructed to do so by the prescriber. Any alteration of this convention is a matte' in the first instance for the medical and pharmaceutical professions. I think, however the noble Lord will be pleased to hear that in fact the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society have proposed detailed revised procedures to be adopted for both National Health Service and private prescriptions, on the general basis that in future the name would be written on the 1260 label unless the prescriber gave contrary instructions.
§ LORD ARCHIBALDMy Lords, may I thank my noble friend for that Answer? In view of its satisfactory nature I will not ask a supplementary question.