§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the latest estimates of take-up of free milk and prescriptions.
§ Sir George YoungThe number of beneficiaries receiving free welfare milk-tokens in England at December 1978 (the latest available figures) was:
thousands —supplementary benefit recipients 233.9 —family income supplement recipients 43.5 —handicapped children not registered at school 0.4 —those claiming on low income grounds 18.9 —large families not receiving supplementary benefit or FIS 54.1 Of the 304–6 million prescriptions dispensed in England in 1979, a total of 185–5 million—approximately 61 per cent.—were dispensed free of charge under the exemption arrangements. It is not possible to estimate the number of people entitled to free prescriptions or their prescription needs.