§ 26. Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much additional revenue would be involved if the present prescription charge were doubled and a charge of £1 per week were levied on hospital patients, subject to the present exemptions.
§ Dr. OwenThe additional revenue from doubling the prescription charge would be about £24 million a year if the number of chargeable prescriptions remained the same. Assuming that the same exemptions would be applied to a hospital charge, the estimated income from a charge of £1 a week would be about £8½ million a year. This does not take account of administrative expenses, nor of other possible exemptions from such a charge.