§ Mr. Sean Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the overall quantity of drugs in general and benzodiazepines in particular, prescribed by general practitioners in the past 12 months; and how these figures compare with the previous 12 months.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 9 November 1984, c. 47]: The numbers of prescriptions dispensed by chemists and appliance contractors in England for all drugs, and those in the benzodiazepine group during the latest 12 months available and the previous months were as follows:
(Millions) All drugs Benzodiazepines October 1981—September 1982 307.9 24.4 October 1982—September 1983 314.6 23.9 Figures for benzodiazepines are based on a 1 in 200 sample of dispensed prescriptions.
Figures for all prescriptions are based on an actual count.