Lord WINSTANLEYasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will extend the present exemption from prescription charges for those who have reached State retirement pension age to men aged 64 and women aged 59 who have opted for premature retirement under the Job Release Scheme.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLNo. The Job Release Scheme is only one of the many ways in which people retire prematurely and it would be impracticable to operate a scheme which tried to take account of early retirement and the different reasons for it.