§ Mr. HobanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received the extension of the exemption from prescription charges for sufferers from Parkinson's disease; what estimate he has made of the average annual cost of prescriptions to sufferers of Parkinson's disease; and if he will make a statement on the age profile of those who suffer from Parkinson's disease. [93203]
§ Mr. LammySince January 2002 we have received 13 letters requesting that Parkinson's disease be included in the list of medical conditions conferring exemption from prescription charges.
There is no cost of prescriptions to sufferers from Parkinson's disease who are aged 60 or over, who are (or their partner is) receiving income support, income based Jobseeker's allowance or tax credits (where income is below a specified limit, currently around £226 net per week) or who have successfully claimed help under the national health service low income scheme. We estimate that most sufferers from Parkinson's disease who are not entitled to free prescriptions will have sufficient prescriptions each year to make purchase of a prepayment certificate worthwhile. These cost £89 for 12 months.
There are more than 120,000 people with Parkinson's Disease in the United Kingdom. It is uncommon in people younger than 30; after that the risk of developing it increases with age. The incidence of Parkinson's Disease is approximately 1:1000 in the general population, rising to 1:100 over the age of 65 and 1:50 over the age of 80.