§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Service (1) what is the number of prescription dispensed 424W to pensioners per annum for the last five years.
§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average number of prescriptions dispensed per pensioner per year for the last five years.
§ Sir George YoungAs NHS prescription forms do not carry information about a person's pensionable status, the information below, which is not available in this form for the period before 1977, refers only to prescription forms which carry an exemption from prescription charges on the grounds of a person's age (women aged 60 and over, men aged 65 and over):
Year with total prescriptions dispensed to persons over pensionable age 1977 100 million 1978 104.9 million 1979 107.2 million On this basis the average number of prescriptions dispensed per person of pensionable age is as follows:
1977 11.7 1978 12.2 1979 12.5 These figures are based on a 1 in 200 sample of prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacists, drug stores and appliance contractors in England.