§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now abolish prescription charges for all children still attending school and all students in full-time education.
§ Sir George YoungWhen the exemption from prescription charges for children was introduced it was intended to provide for the medicines required in connection with the ailments of childhood. Over the years, for convenience, the exemption has been linked with the statutory school leaving age. Older children do not have great prescription needs and as a group do not present as strong a case for exemption as some other groups of patients.
Most young people continuing in full-time education qualify for exemption on low income grounds since it is their own income, not that of the parents, which is taken into account.
64W