Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20084, if he will make it his policy to collect data concerning the number of prescriptions for anti-depressants that are dispensed by the NHS for patients aged under 18.

Currently, information is not available centrally concerning the age of patients prescribed and dispensed specific medicines. However, the NHS Business Services Authority is in the process of developing this capability so that, as a minimum, information can be provided from a sample of prescription items.