§ 28. Mr. Storeyasked the Minister of Health how long those requiring ear aids have to wait for an appointment to be examined at Manchester Ear Clinic; and how long they have to wait after examination for their aids.
§ Mr. BevanWaiting period depends on the priority given to the case. The rate of issue will increase shortly with the appointment of another technician
§ Mr. StoreyIs the right hon. Gentle. man aware that I have instances of cases where people have been kept waiting for seven months for examination and another 19 months, afterwards, for their aural aid?
§ Mr. BevanYes, and a very large number have been waiting for many years for what some of them are now able to get. As I have explained previously, the limitation upon the issue of aural aids is not the production of aural aids but the number of technicians who fit these aids at the hospitals. It is not desirable to issue the aids through unskilled people; if that were done deaf people would not know how to use them.
§ Mr. StoreyWould it not be much more honest for the National Health Service to make these facts known, and not to hold out hopes to the deaf which the service is quite unable to fulfil?
§ Mr. BevanThese facts have been made known. They were made known when the service was started, but I would point out that between 60,000 and 70,000 deaf people have received aural aids who would not have had them if the hon Member's party had been in office.