Prescriptions up to £7.10 (but only in England)

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The row over "apartheid" in public services was reignited yesterday when the Government pushed up prescription charges for English patients.

Dawn Primarolo, the Public Health Minister, said the price will rise 25p on April 1 to £7.10 within England's borders.

In Wales, however, prescriptions will remain free while in Scotland the charge is being cut to £5 from April. Within three years the fee north of the border will also be eliminated.

NHS dental charges will also rise with a basic treatment - an examination, advice and any necessary X-rays or scale and polish - going up by 30p to £16.20.

Yesterday the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain entered the debate by calling for a review of prescription charges for the English.

Paul Bennett, of the society's English pharmacy board, said: "We urgently need a review of the current system of prescription charges and exemptions in England - they are presently both illogical and unfair."

Asthma and arthritis sufferers were among those missing out most because of chronic conditions, he said.

Miss Primarolo said the prescription rise was below the rate of inflation and annual cost increases had not exceeded the cost of living for a decade.

"In England, 88 per cent of prescription items are free of charge thanks to our extensive exemption arrangements," she added.

"Prescription charges are expected to raise £435million in the next financial year - that's valuable income that can be ploughed back into the NHS."

Scottish residents already have access to free eye care and check-ups, free personal care for the elderly, extra central heating grants and a number of drugs deemed too costly for the Health Service in England and Wales.