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Prescription Charges (Young Persons)

Volume 923: debated on Thursday 23 December 1976

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asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is his estimate of the number of young people aged 16 years and over in full-time education who may be entitled to free medical prescriptions because of their own low income, that is, not based on their parents' circumstances;(2) how many young people aged 16 years and over in full-time education claimed exemption from prescription charges on grounds of their own low income in 1975;(3) in what circumstances young people aged 16 years and over and in full-time education can receive exemption from payment for prescriptions in their own right.

Information for such an estimate is not available and information about the number of applicants in this category in 1975 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Exemption from, or a refund of, prescription charges is available to anyone aged 16 or over, whether or not he is in full-time education and irrespective of his parents' circumstances, whose income in relation to his requirements as assessed by supplementary benefit standards is insufficient to leave enough over to pay the prescription charge without difficulty. In addition, anyone aged 16 or over who suffers from one of the specified medical conditions is entitled to exemption.