HC Deb 06 April 1998 vol 310 c126W
Mr. Letwin

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many, and what proportion of drugs in BNF chapter 2 dispensed in the latest year for which figures are available were(a) charged at point of dispensing, (b) paid for through a pre-payment certificate and (c) dispensed to patients exempt from charges. [38066]

Mr. Milburn

The information is shown in the table:

Prescription items in British National Formulary (BNF) chapter 2, Cardiovascular System, dispensed in England in 1996
Prescription items (millions) Percentage
Charged at point of dispensing 5.6 6.7
Prepayment certificate 4.0 4.8
Exempt from charge 74.4 88.6
Total for cardiovascular system 84.0 100.0

Note:

This analysis is based on a 1 in 20 sample of all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors only.