§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that a patient who has bought an annual prescription and is subsequently 210W issued with a prescription exemption certificate is refunded for the length of time before the annual prescription expires; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergApplication forms for prepayment certificates carry a very clear warning that the fee paid will not be returned, save in very exceptional circumstances. Any system of partial refunds could only be based on the actual use made of a certificate, since its potential use is unlimited. The work involved in obtaining the necessary information would be considerable and we have no intention of imposing such an extra burden on the NHS.