Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the overall (a) administrative and (b) enforcement costs of (i) charging for prescriptions and (ii) the Prescription Penalty Charge in England; and if he will make a statement.

We have made no such estimate. The NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for administering prescription services including charging, exemptions, and Penalty Charge Notices. The Department understands that prescription charge revenue offsets the costs of administering and enforcing the system.