§ Mrs. Wiseasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of people entitled to free prescriptions; and what is his estimate of the actual take-up.
§ Mr. MoyleIt is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of people entitled to free prescriptions. In 1977, the last year for which figures are available, 296 million prescriptions were dispensed and of these about 186 million—63 per cent.—were dispensed free of charge. Provisional figures for December, 1978, indicate that free prescriptions are still about 63 per cent. of the total dispensed.