From next April 2008, prescription charges will be cut by 25% per cent to £5 in Scotland and abolished by 2011. Making the announcement yesterday, Scottish health minister Nicola Sturgeon said people with chronic and long- term conditions would benefit from a 50 per cent cut in the cost of prescription pre-payment certificates.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'Prescription charges are a tax on ill-health and can be a barrier to good health for too many people.'