Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the desirability of including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease on the long-term prescription list.

We have not made an assessment of the desirability of including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease on the list of medical exemptions which provide exemption from prescription charges.

Other exemption arrangements are in place, in England, based on age and income, to support those who cannot afford to pay for their prescriptions. Additionally, for those who need multiple prescriptions and do not qualify for exemption, Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPC) can be purchased, which allow someone to claim as many prescriptions as needed. A 12 month PPC costs £104 and benefits anyone who needs 13 or more prescriptions a year.