Prescription Charges (Hansard, 13 January 1995)

§ Mrs. Beckett
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to raise prescription charges.

§ Mr. Malone
I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for West Derbyshire (Mr. McLoughlin) on 16 December 1994,Official Report, column 1144.

§ Mrs. Beckett
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of prescriptions costs the NHS less than(a) £5.25, (b) £5 and (c) £4.75.

§ Mr. Malone
The latest information is shown in the table. 255W

Percentage of total prescription items dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors and dispensing doctors, and prescription items personally administered by prescribing doctors, in England in 1993 which had a total cost of less than £5.25,£5.00 and £4.75.

Total cost¹ per prescription item Percentage of total prescription items² per cent.

under £5.25 57

under £5.00 55

under £4.75 54

¹ Total cost = the net ingredient cost of drugs and appliances, less discount, plus dispensing fees, container cost, oncost allowance, oxygen payments and value added tax.

² Total prescriptions items includes items dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors and dispensing doctors in England on prescriptions written by general medical practitioners, hospital doctors, dentists and armed services doctors and dentists in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Items dispensed in hospitals are not included.

Percentage of total prescription items dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors and dispensing doctors, and prescription items personally administered by prescribing doctors, in England in 1993 which had a total cost of less than £5.25,£5.00 and £4.75.
Total cost¹ per prescription item	Percentage of total prescription items² per cent.
under £5.25	57
under £5.00	55
under £4.75	54
¹ Total cost = the net ingredient cost of drugs and appliances, less discount, plus dispensing fees, container cost, oncost allowance, oxygen payments and value added tax.
² Total prescriptions items includes items dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors and dispensing doctors in England on prescriptions written by general medical practitioners, hospital doctors, dentists and armed services doctors and dentists in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Items dispensed in hospitals are not included.