§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to amend the present rules to equalise the ages at which men and women may receive free prescriptions.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyExemption from prescription charges on grounds of age is currently linked to the state retirement pension age—65 for men and 60 for women. Whilst we have no plans to change this arrangement, the Government will examine closely the outcome of the forthcoming deliberations on EC directive 79/7.
Current arrangements for exemption on grounds of health or status, underpinned by the separate scheme for remission on grounds of low income and the prescription prepayment certificate scheme, ensure that no one need forgo any necessary medication on financial grounds. As a result, less than one item in five dispensed in the NHS currently attracts a charge.