§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many people are in receipt of free prescriptions; and what his estimate is of those eligible to claim them;
(2) how many people receive free prescriptions in the West Riding County Council area; what his estimate is of those in the area who are eligible to receive them; and what are the comparable figures for the constituent divisions of the county.
§ Mr. AlisonMany people who are eligible do not need prescriptions and 281W no reliable estimate can be made of the number of people who during any period both need prescriptions and are eligible for remission of the charges. About 20 million people in England are exempt on grounds of age or because they hold a certificate entitling them to exemption on one of the other prescribed grounds. Well over half of all National Health Service prescriptions are dispensed without charge.
Complete information is not available in relation to the West Riding County Council area, but I estimate that rather over 700,000 people in the area are exempt. I have no information relating to the constituent divisions of the county.