HC Deb 26 June 1995 vol 262 cc484-5W
Mr. Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has to issue guidelines to general practitioners and pharmacists concerning requests by patients for private prescription forms for items whose production and distribution costs are lower than the standard prescription charges. [30678]

Mr. Malone

Guidance to general practitioners on the issue of private prescriptions to national health service patients was issued on 4 May 1994 under FHSL (94) 26, copies of which are available in the Library. Pharmacists are already accustomed to dispensing private prescriptions, so no new guidance is necessary.

Mr. Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her current estimate of the proportion of all prescription-only items in the formulary whose production and distribution cost is lower than the current pre-item prescription charge. [30677]

Mr. Malone

The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.