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Prescriptions

I regret that the written answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) on 10 July 2008, Official Report, column 1800W, and the written answer given to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) on 11 November 2008, Official Report, column 1044W, were incorrect. They should not have been based on monthly data on prescribing from December 2007 onwards. The NHS Business Services Authority processes for pricing prescriptions changed in mid-December 2007 and I have been advised that they cannot reliably estimate the prescribing of specific therapeutic groups for a specific age exemption category on a monthly basis from that time. The correct reply for the written answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) is that the information requested is not available. The correct reply for the written answer given to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) is that the Department does not hold information on the number of people aged 65 and over who have depression or have been diagnosed with depression. However, estimates derived from the Business Services Authority's exemption category estimates and national prescribing data indicate that between October 2006 and September 2007, the proportion of prescriptions for antidepressants dispensed to those aged 60 and over was 41.5 per cent. of items.