§ Mr. CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the list of medical conditions exempt from prescription charges was last reviewed; [159754]
(2) what criteria he uses for exempting medical conditions from prescription charges. [159787]
§ Ms StuartThe list of medical conditions conferring exemption from prescription charges was agreed with the medical profession in 1968. It was last reviewed as part of the comprehensive spending review in 1998. We concluded that there should be no change to the list of conditions conferring exemption for the rest of this Parliament.
§ Mr. CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what it would cost to exempt people with Parkinson's disease from prescription charges; [159786]
(2) how many people with Parkinson's disease are required to pay for their prescriptions. [159785]
§ Ms StuartInformation about people with Parkinson's disease who are required to pay for their prescriptions is not held centrally. We cannot, therefore, provide a reliable estimate of the cost of exempting all people with Parkinson's disease. However, many people with Parkinson's disease will be aged 60 or more and already entitled to free prescriptions.