NHS: Rural General Practitioner Dispensing

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath Excerpts

Tuesday 8th July 2014 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My noble friend makes a good point. That is why the rules contain an exception for those who find it difficult to travel and who may therefore wish to have medicines dispensed from their own dispensing GP practice. Those rules do apply to disabled people and to those whom my noble friend describes.

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister not regard it as somewhat ironic that yesterday we had the Government trumpeting their Deregulation Bill but today he defends what essentially is an uneasy truce between the BMA and the pharmaceutical interest, in which often the public are the losers? Is it not time for that to be reviewed again?

[Earl Howe]

I simply ask the noble Lord why his Government introduced those rules when they were reviewed only a few years ago, before the current Administration came to office.