§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health for each NHS region and health district what was(a) the total number of prescriptions and (b) the total number of prescriptions that incurred charges in 1988 and 1991; and if he will express the latter as a percentage of the former.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyInformation for 1988–89 is not available. Information for the financial years 1989–90 and 1990–91 is in the table.
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FPC Name 1989–90 1990–91 Total Chargeable Percentage Total Chargeable Percentage Doncaster 2,765,903 387,152 14.0 2,836,161 369,282 13.0 Rotherham 2,082,331 292,406 14.0 2,107,267 278,733 13.2 Sheffield 4,817,349 654,625 13.6 4,893,289 626,028 12.8 Trent 35,411,775 5,857,363 16.5 36,137,352 5,592,386 15.5 Cambridgeshire 3,480,702 725,805 20.9 3,622,234 702,202 19.4 Norfolk 4,047,224 743,357 18.4 4,230,216 731,160 17.3 Suffolk 3,476,437 696,214 20.0 3,567,657 673,420 18.9 East Anglia 11,004,363 2,165,376 19.7 11,420,107 2,106,782 18.4 Bedfordshire 3,340,943 691,350 20.7 3,385,068 657,867 19.4 Hertfordshire 6,321,276 1,469,875 23.3 6,453,717 1,415,252 21.9 Barnet 2,048,821 396,549 19.4 2,075,473 381,753 18.4 Brent and Harrow 3,245,635 612,335 18.9 3,287,635 576,916 17.5 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 4,693,664 896,906 19.1 4,741,660 841,151 17.7 Hillingdon 1,700,576 369,255 21.7 1,721,949 350,928 20.4 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 2,358,714 655,211 27.8 2,361,988 623,929 26.4 North West Thames 23,709,629 5,091,481 21.5 24,027,490 4,847,797 20.2 Essex 9,874,403 2,043,221 20.7 10,132,792 1,961,065 19.4 Barking and Havering 2,801,735 537,117 19.2 2,807,571 499,236 17.8 Camden and Islington 2,555,908 485,247 19.0 2,570,372 451,263 17.6 City, Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets 5,116,857 698,195 13.6 5,203,786 643,292 12.4 Enfield and Haringey 3,151,598 592,033 18.8 3,253,609 555,331 17.1 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 3,566,650 645,390 18.1 3,604,724 604,857 16.8 North East Thames 27,067,151 5,001,203 18.5 27,572,854 4,715,044 17.1 East Sussex 5,714,784 929,082 16.3 5,809,616 889,044 15.3 Kent 10,708,354 2,068,884 19.3 10,906,431 1,983,984 18.2 Bexley and Greenwich 3,090,571 579,471 18.7 3,122,385 539,132 17.3 Bromley 1,975,701 425,869 21.6 2,008,178 410,927 20.5 Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark 5,171,672 832,863 16.1 5,269,598 780,601 14.8 South East Thames 26,661,082 4,836,169 18.1 27,116,208 4,603,688 17.0 Surrey 6,287,851 1,526,647 24.3 6,377,659 1,474,506 23.1 West Sussex 4,985,936 906,329 18.2 5,077,230 874,149 17.2 Croydon 2,117,939 452,523 21.4 2,132,843 429,607 20.1 Kingston and Richmond 2,076,122 475,683 22.9 2,079,613 459,077 22.1 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 4,146,503 800,263 19.3 4,221,855 774,851 18.4 South West Thames 19,614,351 4,161,444 21.2 19,889,200 4,012,190 20.2 Dorset 5,060,355 815,042 16.1 5,205,630 784,249 15.1 Hampshire 10,620,014 2,163,583 20.4 10,871,595 2,095,593 19.3 Wiltshire 3,370,352 712,109 21.1 3,444,502 692,623 20.1 Isle of Wight 1,003,261 162,154 16.2 1,027,719 157,997 15.4 Wessex 20,053,982 3,852,889 19.2 20,549,446 3,730,462 18.2 Berkshire 4,510,779 1,117,376 24.8 4,625,941 1,081,873 23.4 Buckinghamshire 3,656,942 895,191 24.5 3,742,879 863,281 23.1 Northamptonshire 3,592,195 740,776 20.6 3,676,666 713,415 19.4 Oxfordshire 2,752,473 671,793 24.4 2,826,551 653,246 23.1 Oxford 14,512,389 3,425,135 23.6 14,872,037 3,311,816 22.3 Avon 6,390,596 1,257,301 19.7 6,502,170 1,207,801 18.6 Cornwall 3,078,878 481,932 15.7 3,180,072 465,614 14.6 Devon 7,633,769 1,223,816 16.0 7,848,651 1,188,226 15.1 Gloucestershire 3,087,228 642,122 20.8 3,158,325 626,206 19.8 Somerset 2,943,809 541,796 18.4 3,009,379 524,533 17.4 South Western 23,134,280 4,146,966 17.9 23,698,597 4,012,379 16.9 Hereford and Worcestershire 4,113,740 812,683 19.8 4,203,161 793,452 18.9 Salop 2,600,082 466,427 17.9 2,617,820 450,264 17.2 Staffordshire 7,579,951 1,422,494 18.8 7,736,986 1,364,350 17.6 Warwickshire 3,240,435 639,082 19.7 3,284,385 611,940 18.6 Birmingham 9,288,033 1,145,009 12.3 9,401,661 1,071,959 11.4 Coventry 2,731,192 408,062 14.9 2,735,711 376,780 138 Dudley 2,324,858 423,633 18.2 2,349,260 406,447 17.3 Sandwell 2,869,891 392,390 13.7 2,864,781 357,595 12.5
FPC Name 1989–90 1990–91 Total Chargeable Percentage Total Chargeable Percentage Solihull 1,508,560 298,745 19.8 1,531,261 285,528 18.6 Walsall 2,547,769 370,237 14.5 2,530,137 341,679 13.5 Wolverhampton 2,273,563 333,547 14.7 2,272,690 314,026 13.8 West Midlands 41,078,074 6,712,307 16.3 41,527,853 6,374,020 15.3 Cheshire 7,447,839 1,343,351 1.80 7,617,115 1,284,739 16.9 Liverpool 5,202,664 451,909 8.7 5,309,343 418,933 7.9 St. Helens and Knowsley 3,517,069 393,842 11.2 3,628,178 371,783 10.2 Sefton 2,887,641 375,084 13.0 2,961,666 351,658 11.9 Wirral 3,263,855 423,098 13.0 3,344,633 401,672 12.0 Mersey 22,319,068 2,987,284 13.4 22,860,935 2,828,784 12.4 Lancashire 13,019,122 1,927,035 14.8 13,225,919 1,833,966 13.9 Bolton 2,278,039 346,806 15.2 2,327,601 331,371 14.2 Bury 1,709,275 259,782 15.2 1,743,156 247,298 14.2 Manchester 4,466,316 491,264 11.0 4,512,237 458,344 10.2 Oldham 2,094,502 307,895 14.7 2,139,172 284,895 13.3 Rochdale 2,023,600 275,252 13.6 2,063,949 259,195 12.6 Salford 2,505,149 303,759 12.1 2,534,318 281,965 11.1 Stockport 2,433,369 430,941 17.7 2,475,952 417,509 16.9 Tameside 2,003,432 308,615 15.4 2,036,652 290,122 14.2 Trafford 2,192,308 364,438 16.6 2,233,437 349,379 15.6 Wigan 2,912,792 455,527 15.6 2,948,785 438,338 14.9 North Western 37,637,904 5,471,314 14.5 38,241,178 5,192,383 13.6 England 356,364,096 62,019,359 17.4 363,113,060 59,301,074 16.3
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a chronic asthmatic on invalidity benefit and in receipt of housing benefits and poll tax benefit but below pensionable age is entitled to free prescriptions.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleySince 1968, when medical exemptions from prescription charges were first introduced, asthma has not been a condition which of itself attracts free prescriptions. The NHS low income scheme underpins wide-ranging exemption arrangements on grounds of health or status, thus ensuring that no one need be deterred from obtaining any necessary medication for financial reasons.
As a result of the exemption and charge remission arrangements, coupled with the prescription prepayment certificate scheme, less than one item in six dispensed in the NHS attracts a charge. In 1991 100 million more items were dispensed free than in 1979, when one in three attracted a charge.