§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he- will introduce legislation to ensure that all children from 16 to 19 years of age in full-time education and for whom a child benefit is paid shall be automatically entitled to free prescriptions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungMost young people of 16 to 19 years continuing in full-time education qualify for exemption on low income grounds, since it is their own income, and not that of their parents, which is taken into account in determining entitlement.
210WWe have no plans to extend automatic exemption from prescription charges to include young people of 16 to 19 years in full-time education and for whom a child benefit is paid. The arrangements to exempt children from prescription charges are intended to provide for the medicines required in the treatment of the various ailments of childhood. Young people of 16 to 19 years do not have significant prescription needs and, as a group, do not have as strong a claim for exemption as some other groups of people.
§ Mr. Kinnockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children over the age of 16 years and in full-time education are estimated to be entitled to exemption from prescription charges; and how many children in this category are claiming free prescriptions.
§ Sir George YoungIn the United Kingdom in 1978, the latest period for which figures are available, approximately 1.5 million young people of 16 years and over were in full-time education. Since entitlement to exemption for prescription charges for this group is assessed on income grounds only, those with a significant personal income would not be entitled to exemption. I regret that figures for prescriptions dispensed free of charge on income grounds do not separately identify those people in full-time education.