§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the take-up for each quarter since June 1970, of exemptions to National Health Service charges and prescription charges.
§ Mr. AlisonInformation is not available in the form requested. The available statistics are given below:
Dental Charges
The number of courses of treatment and emergency treatments in England and Wales for priority classes—mainly expectant and nursing mothers and children at school—exempt from charges are shown below for the periods indicated.
Quarter Ended Number Millions 30th September 1970 … … 2.40 31st December 1970 … … 2.49 31st March 1971 … … 2.19 30th June 1971 … … 2.56 30th September 1971 … … 2.44 31st December 1971 … … 2.69 31st March 1972 … … 2.72 30th June 1972 … … 2.73 30th September 1972 … … 2.81 [No patients are charged for examination and report, denture repairs and arrest of bleedings.]
OPTICAL CHARGES
The following table gives the number of pairs of glasses supplied to children in England and Wales during the periods indicated.
Quarter ended Without charge for frame or lenses With free lenses only 30th June 1970 … 9,900 40,800 30th September 1970 … 9,300 35,000 31st December 1970 … 9,100 35,900 31st March 1971 … 7,900 35,100 30th June 1971 … 11,800 38,800 30th September 1971 … 10,800 34,500 31st December 1971 … 11,000 39,100 31st March 1972 … 11,200 40,200 30th June 1972* … 19,000 40,300 30th September 1972 … 31,100 31,500 Notes:
* With effect from 1st April 1972 a plastics-fronted frame was transferred from the range for which children pay to the range which they may have free of charge.
There are no charges for sight-tests.
302WREMISSION ON INCOME GROUNDS
The following table shows the number of payments of supplementary benefit made in Great Britain in the periods indicated.
Quarter ended Dental charges Optical charges Other National Health Service charges 000's 000's 000's 30th June 1970 65 155 — 30th September 1970 62 156 — 31st December 1970 71 166 — 31st March 1971 69 149 — 30th June 1971 100 213 1 30th September 1971 98 206 2 31st December 1971 109 213 2 31st March 1972 114 199 2 30th June 1972 114 206 2 30th September 1972 101 190 2 31st December 1972 113 212 2 Note: Some of these payments would not have covered the full National Health Service charge because of the level of the claimant's income.
PRESCRIPTION CHARGES
The following table shows for Great Britain the estimated number of persons exempt from prescription charges and the estimated number of prescriptions dispensed for them by chemists.
Half year ended Persons wholly exempt Holders of prepayment certificates Number of exempt prescriptions millions 000's millions 30th June 1970 … 22.9 70 80 31st December 1970 … 23.0 81 79 30th June 1971 … 23.4 153 84 31st December 1971 … 23.6 174 84 30th June 1972 … 23.7 200 90