§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health by how much prescription charges have risen in(a) cash terms and (b) real terms between 1979 and 1993.
§ Dr. MawhinneyOn 1 April 1993, prescription charges had risen by £4.05 cash and £1.53 in real terms since 1979. The charge remains substantially less than the average total cost of a prescribed item to the national health service. Only one in five precribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors now attracts a charge, compared with two in five in 1979.