To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the administrative cost of processing (i) a single NHS HS21 prescription; and (ii) a single NHS PV1 (pharmacist) prescription, excluding the cost of the item dispensed; and how many of each of these types of prescriptions have been processed since April 2013.

From April 2013 to October 2014 a total of 34,254,019 HS21 prescriptions have been dispensed. The dispensing fee for each item dispensed was £0.98. In the same period a total of 473,839 PV1 (pharmacist) forms were dispensed. These are used in connection with medicines prescribed by pharmacists for smoking cessation and to treat minor ailments. A PV1 form may contain more than one item. The dispensing fee for PV1 items issued in relation to smoking cessation is £0.98. The dispensing fee for each PVI item issued to treat minor ailments is £1.11 and a consultation fee of up to £8.50 can be claimed in relation to each PV1 prescription form issued for minor ailments.