The cost of pre-paid prescription certificates (PPC) will remain frozen for another year, health minister Lord O’Shaughnessy confirmed on Wednesday (February 21).

The three-month PPC will remain at £29.10, while an annual PPC will stay at £104.

“Taken together, this means prescription charge income is expected to rise broadly in line with inflation,” Lord O’Shaughnessy said in a statement.

Patients with certain medical conditions – including cancer, epilepsy and diabetes – as well as pregnant women, new mothers, children under 16, anyone over 60, and those on a low income, will remain exempt from prescription charges.

Prescription charges have increased by 20p instalments for the last two years, following a 15p rise in 2015.

The Northern Irish government launched a consultation in December to seek views on whether to reintroduce prescription charges to help “balance the budget”.