Prescriptions: Asylum
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse has been of free prescriptions provided to asylum seekers since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth
The Department does not hold the information requested. Data is not held on the number of prescriptions dispensed in the community in England free of charge to asylum seekers.
There is no automatic exemption from prescription charges for asylum seekers, however individuals may be entitled to exemption from charges for other reasons such as age or through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS). If an individual who is an asylum seeker has a prescription that includes a charge exemption, it would be recorded in the system in the same way as any other prescription with that exemption.
Asylum seekers who are supported by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Section 95 support, who may be housed by UKVI or in accommodation prior to dispersal, are sent a HC2 certificate, valid for six months, for full help. Other asylum seekers may make an NHS LIS claim using the HC1 certificate form.
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