§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask (1) the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of students in the last year for which figures are available are eligible for free prescriptions. [15950]
369W(2) the Secretary of State for Health at what stage the Prescription Pricing Authority regarded a student loan as income when deciding on a claimant's eligibility for free prescriptions. [15952]
§ Mr. MaloneI have been asked to reply.
Student loans have been an integral element of the provision made from public funds for student support since September 1990. Since that day they have been taken into account as income when assessing students' entitlement to help through the national health service low-income scheme. In 1993–94, around 308,000 low-income scheme claims were made by students, of which about 60 per cent. resulted in entitlement to free prescriptions.