Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the annual average cost of a gluten-free diet for individuals with Coeliac disease compared with a standard diet.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Gluten‑free staple foods are available on prescription in line with the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Category 1 Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2004, which support access to essential items such as gluten‑free bread and mixes for patients with diagnosed coeliac disease.

Broader retail price comparisons fall outside the scope of the Department, as food pricing is determined by commercial suppliers and retailers. For this reason, the Department has made no recent estimate of the annual average cost of a gluten‑free diet compared with a standard diet for individuals with coeliac disease.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to the potential merits of introducing financial support, including vouchers, for people with Coeliac disease who are unable to access gluten-free prescriptions.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Prescribing decisions are made by the responsible clinician, who is accountable for ensuring that prescribing is clinically appropriate and consistent with national and local guidance. NHS England’s guidance on prescribing gluten-free (GF) foods sets out a national framework for primary care, and integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning arrangements in their areas and for supporting general practices to prescribe in line with that framework, taking account of local population needs.

The national position in England remains that gluten free bread and mixes can be prescribed on the National Health Service for eligible people diagnosed with Coeliac disease. However, ICBs can restrict or end the prescribing of GF food. There are no plans to change the current arrangements or to introduce additional financial support, such as vouchers, for GF food.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that GP practices comply with guidance on prescribing gluten-free foods for patients diagnosed with Coeliac disease.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Prescribing decisions are made by the responsible clinician, who is accountable for ensuring that prescribing is clinically appropriate and consistent with national and local guidance. NHS England’s guidance on prescribing gluten-free (GF) foods sets out a national framework for primary care, and integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning arrangements in their areas and for supporting general practices to prescribe in line with that framework, taking account of local population needs.

The national position in England remains that gluten free bread and mixes can be prescribed on the National Health Service for eligible people diagnosed with Coeliac disease. However, ICBs can restrict or end the prescribing of GF food. There are no plans to change the current arrangements or to introduce additional financial support, such as vouchers, for GF food.

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