§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has so far been made in extending the membership of the relevant advisory committees in the context of the recent announcement of the extension of the limited list prescribing system to include 10 new categories of pharmaceutical products.
§ Dr. MawhinneyWe have received suggestions from relevant organisations and will announce the names of new members shortly.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement giving details of the different options for reducing the medicines bill to the national health service which she considered prior to the announcement of the extension of the limited list prescribing system and, in the case of each of those options, why it was rejected.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe selected list scheme has been in operation since 1986 and has limited the rate of growth in68W the drugs bill without jeopardising patient care. Extending its scope to additional therapeutic categories was therefore an obvious step to take, so that this effect could continue. We are also re-negotiating the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme. We are in discussion with the pharmaceutical industry about other possible ways of controlling the drugs bill, and any proposals which emerge from those discussions will be carefully considered.