HC Deb 09 December 1992 vol 215 cc687-8W
Mr. Renton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been saved annually by the national health service by the original selected list scheme on drugs; and what was the effect on the level of prescriptions in those catergories which were not on the selected list.

Dr. Mawhinney

In 1985–86 the selected list scheme saved £75 million on the drugs bill. It is not possible to make meaningful estimates for subsequent years, or to measure changes in the level of prescriptions which can be directly attributed to the scheme. We believe however that significant savings continue to be made.