Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending free prescriptions to veterans other than holders of a Valid War Pension Exemption Certificate in cases where the prescription is for an accepted disability.

Exemptions from National Health Service prescriptions charges for veterans have been extended beyond valid war pension exemption certificate holders to Armed Forces Compensation Scheme recipients. If the prescription is not for their accepted disablement there would be a charge if they were under 60 years old, unless there was another exemption in place. No assessment has been made of the effect of the cost of prescriptions on veterans’ mental health.