§ Lord Balnielasked the Minister of Health what has been the cost to the National Health Service of prescriptions specifying drugs by standard names and of prescriptions specifying drugs by proprietary names, respectively, in each of the past five years.
§ Mr. PowellThe total cost to the Echequer of prescriptions dispensed by chemists in England and Wales is estimated approximately as follows:
—— Prescriptions specifying drugs by standard names Prescriptions specifying drugs by proprietary names £m. £m. 1956 … … 16.6 30.8 1957 … … 13.2 34.8 1958 … … 13.9 38.6 1959 … … 13.9 45.2 1960 … … 14.1 50.7 Note. Rather less than half, by value, of the drugs prescribed by standard names in 1959 and 1960 were available only as proprietaries. The proportion for earlier years is not known.