§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether he has any plans to extend exemption from prescription charges in Scotland to people requiring long-term medication related to mental illness;
(2) whether he has any plans to introduce a sliding scale of charges for residents with mental health problems in special accommodation schemes in Scotland who have other sources of income.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythWhen the existing list of specified medical conditions for which exemption from prescription charges is given was drawn up it was suggested by the medical profession that it should include only readily identifiable conditions which called for prolonged medical treatment, in most cases replacement therapy. The list has been reviewed on a number of occasions by successive Governments, but on each occasion it was decided no change could be made. There are no plans to extend the list at this time or to introduce sliding scales of charges relating to patients' circumstances.