§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what would be(a) the annual cost and (b) the current charges if prescription charges had been raised in line with price inflation since 1979. [8962]
§ Mr. MaloneThe loss of income to the national health service if the prescription charge had been raised in line with the GDP deflator index would be about £260 million per year. This calculation is based on a comparison with charge income in 1994–95.
The standard prescription charge per item would be £0.51.