FOI-03845

Thank you for your request for information about the following: ##Request ‘Please provide the following information for England for each of the last five financial years: 1) The total number of Prescription Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued. 2) The number of PCNs that were subsequently cancelled following a challenge or appeal. 3) The number of PCNs cancelled specifically because the individual was later found to have a valid exemption at the time of dispensing. 4) The number of PCNs cancelled due to administrative error, incorrect evidence, or insufficient evidence to support the allegation. 5) The number of PCNs escalated to debt collection agencies. 6) The number of PCNs overturned at each stage of the appeals process.’ The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 20 May 2026. We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). ##Our response __Questions 1, 2, 3 & 4__ I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested and a copy of the information is attached. Please note, we stopped issuing PCNs during the Covid-19 pandemic and resumed issuing during 2022, therefore the numbers for this year may be lower. __Questions 5 & 6__ The information you requested is being withheld as it falls under the exemption in section 31(1) of the Freedom of Information Act. In applying this exemption, we have balanced the public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosing the information. The below sets out the factors considered when deciding that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. __Public Interest Test__ __Factors for Disclosure__ * Public interest in openness and transparency of public authority dealings. * Contribute to public understanding of the NHSBSA’s procedures and actions regarding dental and prescription charges and penalty charge notices. __Factors for Withholding__ * Public interest in avoiding prejudice to the prevention or detection of crime. * The legal duty to ensure that fraud is prevented against services provided by the NHSBSA. * Releasing the data would provide the public with information which could be used to avoid paying charges and therefore commit fraud. * There would be a financial impact to the NHS if correct charges are not being paid. __Conclusion:__ The NHSBSA recognises that there is a public interest in disclosure of the information to promote transparency and assurance of NHSBSA's exemption checking service processes. However, with regard to the requested data, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, as more weight is afforded to the arguments outlined above to avoid prejudice to the prevention or detection of crime. Please see the following link to view the section 31 exemption in full – https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/31 __Data Queries__ Please contact [email protected] ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data. __Reusing the data and copyright__ If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact [email protected] . This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “NHSBSA Copyright 2026”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence. Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.