§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has as to the numbers of doctors' prescription pads which are lost or stolen annually; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythDuring the last year some 214 prescription pads or parts of pads were reported as lost or stolen. This figure includes cases where the theft of a pad was incidental to another crime. Health boards normally circulate information about missing pads to chemists to prevent fraudulent use of prescriptions.