§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in the interests of economy, he will take steps to set limits to quantities of expensive drugs prescribed under the National Health Service.
§ Dr. VaughanI have no plans to do so. Under the National Health Service Act a doctor is required to prescribe any drug or medicine in whatever quantity he considers necessary for the treatment of his patient. However, doctors have been asked to consider relative cost where they judge that alternative forms of treatment are likely to be equally effective, and they are regularly provided with information to enable them to make a choice in such circumstances.