Health: Coeliac Disease
House of Lords
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal of Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust to discontinue funding prescriptions for gluten-free foods for people with coeliac disease.
Earl Howe (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Quality), Health; Conservative)
The Government have made no assessment of Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust's (PCT) proposals to discontinue funding prescriptions for gluten-free foods for people with coeliac disease.
It is right that PCTs explore ways to encourage and support clinically appropriate, cost-effective prescribing by general practitioners (GPs). However, PCTs have no legal ability to prevent a GP prescribing a particular product, unless it is subject to a national restriction put in place by the department.