§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domiciliary deliveries of prescriptions are made annually on average by pharmacists in the United Kingdom; and what arrangements exist to compensate pharmacists for these additional service costs and to encourage domiciliary deliveries of prescriptions to the elderly and disabled when necessary.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe information requested is not available. Only those providing a domiciliary oxygen service are specifically remunerated for the service.
§ Mr. KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to allow doctors to indicate on prescription forms that the pharmacist can supply a therapeutically equivalent product in place of a brand name product.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyWe encourage general practitioners to prescribe drugs by their generic name because it is good professional practice and because of the opportunities for savings such prescribing creates. Many hospitals already routinely supply generic products against prescriptions.