§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances a patient is entitled to a portable oxygen container for use in a car; what arrangements are made to issue the container on prescription; what is the cost of this service; and what special regulations apply to this provision.
§ Mr. SackvilleConsultants may prescribe portable oxygen cylinders to patients which can be topped up from standard 1,360 litre cylinders supplied against a general practitioner's prescription. Information on the cost of this service is not separately identifiable. If a portable oxygen container was for use in a motor vehicle the driver would be required to be fit at all times to drive the vehicle safely. The safety aspect would fall to the police to enforce. A driver using oxygen in a motor vehicle must not have a relevant disability within the meaning of section 92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Such a disability might include obstructive airways disease causing sleep apnoea. Drivers suffering such disabilities are required by law to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.