§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, following his reply of 28 November, Official Report, column 646, how the cost of the computers loaned to doctors by the medicines manufacturer referred to will be reflected in the prices of National Health Service medicines.
§ Mr. WhitneyCompanies supplying medicines to the National Health Service are obliged to submit audited78W annual financial returns to the Department under the terms of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme. These returns reflect the costs and profits incurred by companies in their sales of medicines to the Health Service and are the basis upon which the Department determines whether such costs and profits are reasonable. We are still examining the particular company's returns for the period in which the computers were loaned but at this stage have no reason to doubt that the cost of the loan may be legitimately charged as a cost.