§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reasons cystic fibrosis is not exempted from prescription charges; [79162]
(2) if he will exempt cystic fibrosis sufferers from paying prescription charges. [79163]
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§ Mr. DenhamEntitlement to help with prescription charges is based on the principle that those who can afford to contribute should do so. People likely to have the greatest difficulty in paying charges, for example children under 16, people over 60 and those on low income do get their prescriptions free. These arrangements ensure that no one need be deterred from obtaining necessary medication for financial reasons. The current prescription charge exemption arrangements were reviewed as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. We noted that there was no consensus on what additional conditions might be included in any revised list of medical exemptions, or how distinctions could be drawn between one condition and another.
For these, and other reasons, we concluded that all current prescription charge exemptions would be protected for the rest of this Parliament. We also decided that prescription charges would rise by no more than the rate of inflation over the next three years.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of people who are exempt from prescription charges. [83335]
§ Mr. DenhamIt is estimated that about half of the population are exempt from prescription charges.