§ Captain Kerbyasked the Minister of Health, what has been the cost of sleeping tablet prescriptions, and of prescriptions for tranquillisers, respectively, to the National Health Service in each of the past 10 years; and to what extent the increase is due to a rise in prices and to a rise in consumption respectively.
§ Mr. Powell
£ million 1960 1961 Tranquillisers estimated (total net ingredient cost) 1.6 2.4 The increase was due almost entirely to the increase in numbers of prescriptions combined with a small increase in the average quantity ordered on each prescription. I regret that figures for earlier years or for sleeping tablets are not available.