§ 78. Mr. Awberyasked the Minister of Health what is the present average retail cost of medical prescriptions; what amount of this is paid to the chemist for his services together with the cost of the container; and what steps he is taking to discuss these costs with the drug producers with a view to their reduction.
§ Mr. Powell99.5d. in November, 1961, of which 29.9d. was in respect of the chemists' services, and 1.6d. for the container. Negotiations on drug prices60W are continuously in progress under the Voluntary Price Regulation Scheme.
§ Mr. K. Robinsonasked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of prescriptions dispensed, and the average cost per item, for the months of September to December, 1961, inclusive.
§ Mr. PowellThe information is as follows:
ENGLAND AND WALES 1961 Number of prescriptions dispensed Average cost per item millions s. d. September 14.9 8 4.9 October 16.6 8 4.3 November 16.5 8 3.5 December 16.5 not yet (provisional) known