§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pharmacies in(a) Pendle, (b) Lancashire, (c) the north-west and (d) England dispense fewer than 1,700 prescriptions per month.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe information is shown in the table:
Total number of pharmacies Dispensing less than 1,700 per month Per cent. Pendle 18 3 17.0 Lancashire 303 35 12.0 North West 838 94 11.0 England 9,763 1,790 18 Notes:
i. "Pendle" comprises the postcodes BB8 and BB9 covering Colne, Barnoldswick, Earby, Nelson. Bierfield, Trauden, Bartley. This information was obtained from the Public Enquiry Office at the House of Commons and Lancashire Family Health Services Authority.
ii. Lancashire as per the FHSA area.
iii. North West as per the North Western Regional Health Authority.
iv. The source of the prescription data is Table C20 from the Prescription Pricing Authority, and includes pharmacies that operated throughout the 1992–93 financial year with closures excluded and new openers annualised. New openers' prescription numbers are "annualised" using raising factors. A factor of 12 was applied to get an approximate monthly figure.