Coeliac Disease and Prescriptions Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department of Health and Social Care
Gerald Howarth
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Coeliac Disease and Prescriptions
Gerald Howarth Excerpts(8 years, 1 month ago)
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Sir Gerald Howarth (Aldershot) (Con)
To reinforce the point, my constituent Sheryl Rees has drawn my attention to the fact that her son was diagnosed with coeliac disease when he was two. He is now 11. She pointed out the cost of gluten-free items. For example, a small loaf is £3. A pizza is £4. Pasta is £2 a pack. Basically, she is paying double. She has a family of six. This is really impacting on her family’s budget.
Mr Jones
The hon. Gentleman raises an interesting point, especially in terms of families with children. There is also a question of availability in some rural areas. Larger supermarkets stock some of these products at the prices he mentioned and higher, but in other areas the products are not available.