§ Major Beamishasked the Minister of Health if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the total annual cost to the Exchequer of drugs and appliances supplied under the National Health Service, including all the items listed in Statement C of the 1954–55 117W Accounts of the National Health Service Acts in each full financial year since the first full year of working, based on constant prices in the first year but excluding, and showing separately, charges to patients under the National Health Service Act, 1949.
§ Mr. TurtonI am advised that, on present information, owing to substantial changes in the pattern of prescribing, no measurement of the variation in cost in terms of constant prices is possible.