§ Mr. CouchmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what sources, independent of her Department and of the pharmaceutical industry, have been used by the Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs since 1985 to obtain advice on the costs of the products considered for inclusion on the selected list or on the impact of their actions on other national health service costs.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs is an independent body of experts whose members use whatever sources they consider necessary to obtain advice and information for their deliberations.
§ Mr. CouchmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the elements of the costs of administering the selected list scheme;
(2) what has been the cost of the administration of the selected list in each year of its operation; and what is the estimated cost for 1993–94 and 1994–95.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe cost elements of administering the selected list scheme are those incurred in running the Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs and of providing departmental administrative support for the Committee. This amounted to £55,000 in 1991–92. Figures for earlier years are not available but the costs have remained constant in real terms since the inception of the scheme in 1985. An increase of around 50 per cent. is forecast for 1993–94 to deal with the extra work of reviewing the 10 new categories of drugs. Costs thereafter are expected to reduce to the earlier levels.