HC Deb 10 April 1986 vol 95 cc186-7W
Sir Peter Emery

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will list the total number of prescriptions filled in each of the last four years; and set out those categories of persons who are exempt from paying prescription charges and analysing in percentage terms the number of prescriptions where no contribution to prescription charges is made by the patient in the exempted categories.

Mr. Hayhoe

The information requested for the last four years is in the following tables.

Table 1 Percentage of all items supplied to exempt categories
1985 (January-September) 1984 1983 1982
Number of items dispensed (millions) 237 320 315 311
Percentage of items that are exempt 73 70 70 68
Women aged 60 or over, men aged 65 or over 40 38 37 36
Under age 16 12 12 12 13
DHSS exempt 10 10 9 8
FPC exempt 5 5 5 5
War/Service pensioners * * * *
No declaration or declaration not specific 6 5 6 5

Notes:

  1. (i) * Figure would be less than ½ per cent.
  2. (ii) Percentages are based on sample data and rounded to the nearest figure where appropriate.
  3. (iii) No charge contraceptives are not included; these account for around another 2 per cent. of all items.
  4. (iv) The category "FPC Exempt" covers those exempt on medical grounds, pregnant women and women who have had a child within the preceding 12 months;
  5. (v) The category "DHSS exempt" includes people receiving supplementary benefit or family income supplement and their dependants and people exempt on low income grounds.
  6. (vi) Another 5 to 6 per cent. of all items go to holders of "Season Tickets" (prescription pre-payment certificates).

Table 2

Exemptions from prescription charges is available to people in the following categories. The list includes those medical conditions which confer entitlement to exemption.

  1. 1. Children under 16.
  2. 2. Men aged 65 or over and women aged 60 or over.
  3. 3. Pregnant women or women who have had a baby within the preceding 12 months.
  4. 4. People who get supplementary benefit, family income supplement or housing benefit supplement, their partners and dependants.
  5. 5. War or service pensioners (for items for their accepted disablement only).
  6. 6. People who qualify on low income grounds, their partners and dependants.
  7. 7. People who have—
    1. i. a permanent fistula (including caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) requiring continuous surgical dressing or an appliance;
    2. ii. one of the following disorders for which specific substitution therapy is essential:
      • Addison's disease and other forms of hypoadrenalism,
      • diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism,
      • diabetes mellitus,
      • hypoparathyroidism,
      • myasthenia gravis,
      • myxoedema;
    3. iii. epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy;
    4. iv. a continuing physical disability which prevents the patient from leaving his residence without the help of another person.

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