National Health Service (Prescription Charges)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 February 1966.

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Photo of Mr Kenneth Robinson Mr Kenneth Robinson , St Pancras North 12:00, 11 February 1966

The hon. Member for Eastbourne (Sir C. Taylor) has raised a subject which, as he acknowledged, the House debated the day before yesterday. On that occasion, by some unaccountable mischance, he failed to catch Mr. Speaker's eye. The ground that he has covered is,, therefore, somewhat familiar, and I apologise to the House if my remarks should happen to follow rather the same course as my contribution to our last discussion.

The facts, as the right hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph) fairly summarised on Wednesday evening, are that over a number of years the Labour Party made solemn pledges that we should abolish the prescription charges and that—I acknowledge this—the financial effect has been somewhat larger than we anticipated, but, to use the right hon. Gentleman's words, I have not felt financial cramp as a result.

We gave our pledge because we believe that a tax—which was what these charges were—which fell upon the sick and at the time of sickness was in principle wrong. If it is argued that the charges were also a deterrent to the use of the Service, as the hon. Member argued, we point out that it is a deterrent which discriminated unfairly against those least able to bear the charges, particularly the chronic and the elderly sick.

The charges deterred, among others, those whom the doctor would most wish to see and those with conditions which, although not at present serious, might prove to be the early symptoms of dangerous illnesses.

It is true that we did not anticipate that the financial effect would be as great as it has been. I have suggested—and I do not think this has been seriously disputed—that it is not possible, and I do not believe that it ever will be, to estimate precisely the financial effect of removing these charges.

The hon. Gentleman's estimate of £50 million is excessive, even as an estimate of the total increase of the drug bill over the previous year. It is important to recognise—and I think that hon. Gentlemen opposite have acknowledged this—that the total increase in cost, taking 1965 as against 1964, is by no means wholly to be reckoned against the removal of the charge. How much, for example, is due to the removal of the deterrent? We cannot say, but we believe, from what has happened, that the deterrent effect must have been greater than we supposed. How much is due to the incidence of sickness? We cannot say for certain, but as my hon. Friend the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland observed on Wednesday, prescription numbers fluctuate with peaks of sickness.

The number of first claims for sickness benefit in the 18 months since charges were removed was nearly 5½ per cent. above the level for the corresponding months of 1964. This is in relation to the working population. It is reasonable to assume that among the old people and children the increased rate of sickness and the need for prescriptions was even higher.

I remind the House, however, that the increased number of prescriptions has been accompanied by an increase in the average cost of a prescription, which is less than we had anticipated. Year by year, since the very beginning of the Service, the average cost of prescriptions has risen and with it the total cost of the drug bill. This is a further factor which enters into the comparison between what the bill looks like this year compared with last year.

The hon. Member for Eastbourne spoke of half-empty bottles lying around unwanted in cupboards. This is an unwarrantable attack on the medical profession for unnecessary and excessive prescribing.