Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to certificates which exempt the holder from prescription charges, how many (a) Medical Exemption Certificates (b) NHS tax credit exemption certificates and (c) Maternity Exemption Certificates were held in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of certificates issued in each requested category, in each of the last five years. This information has been provided by the NHS Business Services Authority. Data on certificates held at any one point in time changes as certificates expire, eligibility changes and individuals choose or choose not to apply for a medical or maternity exemption certificate.