Written question asked by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 April 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 24 April 2012. It was answered by Simon Burns (Conservative) on Tuesday, 24 April 2012 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Drugs: Prices

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider only publishing the drug tariff online in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The drug tariff sets out payments to dispensing contractors for providing national health service pharmaceutical services. Not all contractors can readily access the drug tariff on-line whilst dispensing without disrupting their workflow. Therefore, for the immediate future, contractors will continue to have the choice whether to use the paper copy or the on-line version. We will continue to reassess the situation with the possibility of publishing the drug tariff solely on-line in due course.

Secondary information