asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the increase in the number and value of prescriptions issued in Scotland since the abolition of prescription charges.

In the period from 1st February to 31st August, 1965, the latest for which complete information is available, chemists in Scotland dispensed 2,418,000 more prescriptions than in the corresponding months of 1964, an increase of 19 per cent. The cost rose by £1,520,000 or about 24 per cent.