HC Deb 18 February 1993 vol 219 c311W
Ms. Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the number of women taking the oral contraception pill.

Mr. Sackville

This information is not collected centrally. However, the general household survey, conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, indicates that in 1991, the most recent year for which figures are available, an estimated 23 per cent. of women aged 16 to 49 in Great Britain were taking an oral contraceptive pill.

Ms. Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 February,Official Report, columns 376–77, to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo), if she will list the over the counter price for a month's supply of each brand of contraceptive pill; and if she will indicate the take-up of prescriptions for each convenient range of products according to hormone dosage.

Mr. Sackville

The contraceptive pill is not available over the counter. It is a prescription-only medicine. There are three main hormone dosage categories under which oral contraceptives are prescribed. The number of prescriptions issued for each of these categories in England in 1991 is given in the table.

Oral contraceptive precriptions by hormone dose England 1991
Prescriptions (thousands)
Total for 50 micrograms of oestrogen 290.1
Total for under 50 micrograms of oestrogen 6,526.6
Total for progestrogen only 699.2