Exemption from National Health Service prescription charges is available to those who:<\/p>
- are in receipt of certain benefits;<\/p>
- are pregnant or recently had a baby and hold a valid exemption certificate;<\/p>
- are aged 60 years old and over;<\/p>
- are aged under 16 years old, or 16,17 or 18 years old and in qualifying full-time education;<\/p>
- get a War Pension and the prescription is for the accepted disablement; and<\/p>
- have one of the listed medical conditions and hold a valid exemption certificate.<\/p>
In addition, the NHS Low Income Scheme help with health costs on an income-related basis. Those who qualify for full help under this scheme will receive free prescriptions.<\/p>
Approximately 60% of the population are exempt from prescription charges. Data on the breakdown by exemption type by population is not centrally held.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4948", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Markham"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Markham"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-03-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-03-07T12:44:26.117Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-02-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prescriptions: Fees and Charges"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what categories of people are exempt from prescription charges; and what percentage of the population this represents.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1132", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Lee of Trafford"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Lee of Trafford"} ], "uin" : "HL5756"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1417558", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1417558/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England and this includes decisions on Bank Rate and quantitative easing. The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK\u2019s economic framework, and essential for the effective delivery of monetary policy, so the Government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government continually monitors economic developments, including any changes to the interest rate, to consider the impact of these developments on businesses and households.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4726", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Penn"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Penn"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-02-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-02-08T16:35:21.917Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-01-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Interest Rates"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact on the economy of a rise in interest rates of one per cent.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/112", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Tyrie"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Tyrie"} ], "uin" : "HL5756"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1204174", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1204174/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government recognises the important role payment holidays play in providing temporary support to consumers through this period and continues to work closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to support consumers facing financial difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.<\/p>
<\/p>
Lenders must act responsibly when deciding whether and how much credit to issue. This includes assessing consumers\u2019 ability to repay. The information on a consumer\u2019s credit file is an important part of this assessment. FCA guidance makes clear that, during a payment holiday, accounts should be recorded to ensure the consumers\u2019 current credit data position is maintained or frozen for the duration of the payment holiday period. The Government expects that this should not impact on a consumer\u2019s credit file.<\/p>
<\/p>
Consumers should speak to their lender about their options when coming to the end of their payment holiday.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4689", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Agnew of Oulton"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-06-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-06-30T15:57:29.607Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2020-06-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Credit: Coronavirus"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that consumers\u2019 future ability to access credit is not adversely impacted by any payment holidays taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4339", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Brady"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Brady"} ], "uin" : "HL5756"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 3, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }