§ Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any proposals to ensure price maintenance of branded products exluded from the limited list.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeProducts which can no longer be prescribed for National Health Service use will be excluded from DHSS price control from 1 April. From that date manufacturers will be free to fix their own prices.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received advocating the inclusion of the laxative known as Duphalac Lactulose on his proposed limited list of drugs for use by paraplegics and other disabled people.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe have received a number of comments about the laxatives to remain available on National Health Service prescription under our limited list proposals including some which cite the needs of diabled people. We are carefully considering all these views.
§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the doctors who have written to his Department commenting on the proposal to limit the range of medicines prescribable under the National Health Service have expressed unqualified approval of the proposals; how many approved of the proposals but with reservations; how many expressed opposition to the proposals; and what percentage of doctors registered to practice medicine in the United Kingdom is represented by each of the groups outlined.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe have received about 3,400 letters from doctors commenting on our proposals to limit the range of drugs available in certain therapeutic categories. Of these, some 1,800 support the proposals or make constructive suggestions on the contents of the list. Many of the remainder, including over 300 copies of a circular letter supplied to doctors by Roche Pharmaceuticals Ltd., show an imperfect understanding of our proposals. The number of doctors who have written represents under 2 per cent. of all doctors registered to practice medicine in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from trade unions about the effect of the limited list proposals on employment in pharmaceutical research and production.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe have received representations from a number of individual trades union members, from some branch organisations and from the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will name the organisations that have written to him making representations about his limited list proposals.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI have received representations from a wide range of organisations but a list suitable for publication could not be compiled without disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Jack Thompsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what reply he has sent to the comments and 449W suggestions submitted by the Royal College of General Practitioners regarding the proposed National Health Service limited drugs list.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe are still considering the comments and suggestions submitted by the Royal College of General Practitioners and will respond to them as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the representatives of the medical profession appointed to advise him on his limited list proposals have been required to sign a declaration under the Official Secrets Act.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo. Members of the group will have access to information of considerable financial value to those with an interest in the market for pharmaceutical products. They are people of considerable distinction however and we have complete confidence in their discretion and judgment. They have been encouraged to consult colleagues outside the group about the clinical aspects of the list.
Nevertheless, the legal position is that the members of the Chief Medical Officer's Advisory Group would commit an offence under section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 if they made an unauthorised disclosure of information entrusted to them in confidence by Ministers or officials of our Department. Our officials drew their attention to the statutory requirements and they were invited, but not required, to sign an acknowledgement that their attention had been drawn to them and that they understood them.