§ 2.45 p.m.
§ Lord SEGALMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government how many lip-reading centres are operating in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively; and what plans the Government have to extend these aids to communication for deaf persons.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, having regard to what has recently been said, I hope that your Lordships will bear with me for giving a reply which is slightly longer than my normal replies. The precise and detailed information in the form required is not available. An inquiry carried out by the Department of Education and Science in 1973 showed a fair degree of provision by local education authorities and to a lesser extent by social services departments and voluntary bodies, but coverage is extremely uneven. 115 There is only very limited provision by the National Health Service at present, and traditionally this service has been provided by local education authorities who employ teachers of the deaf. It is becoming increasingly obvious, however, that lip-reading tuition is only part of the total rehabilitation service required by hearing impaired people, and that, ideally, it should not be separated from other aspects of rehabilitation such as auditory training and counselling of patients and families.
The new Advisory Committee on Services for Hearing Impaired People, which advises my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Social Services about services for deaf people, has recently recommended that this particular aspect of the total rehabilitation process for adult hearing impaired people should be the responsibility of the National Health Service. My right honourable friend is considering their proposals at present. Assuming that they are acceptable and that the necessary resources can be found I would expect there to be an improvement in available provision, but I could not hold out hopes that this will be achieved quickly.
§ Lord SEGALMy Lords, I should like to thank my noble friend for that comprehensive but not altogether satisfactory reply. Is he aware that in this century of technological progress there exists only one institute for the training of teachers in lip-reading, and that this one institute graduates only—I say this subject to correction—eight teachers every year? Is it not time that further facilities were established for the training of these teachers in many of our large provincial centres?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, what my noble friend has said to your Lordships is true, and we are aware of that situation. I think he must be referring to Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, and I should like to take this opportunity of saying that we are indebted to the lip-reading teacher at Addenbrooks for some very useful information which she has given to the Department recently. I have referred to the Working Party's Report which we are studying, 116 and I am hoping that we shall meet many of the demands which ought to have been met some time ago.
§ Lord SEGALMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether he is aware that I was referring not to Cambridge but to the Central Institute in London? Can he say whether the terms of reference of this Advisory Committee include also an inquiry into the disposal of discarded hearing aids, which are very frequently useless in certain types of chronic deafness?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, I understand that the Report of the Working Party is very comprehensive. I cannot call to mind the particular matter to which my noble friend refers, but I shall bear this matter in mind.
§ Lord CLIFFORD of CHUDLEIGHMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that, speaking as probably the deafest Member of your Lordships' House, the only place at which I could get lip-reading lessons was in London from 9 to 10 in the morning, and then only once or twice a week, solely through the generosity of one of the small but dedicated band of teachers who are continually having to give lip-reading classes for 12 hours a day? Is he further aware that, although many of my generation suffer from a form of deafness as a result of things going bang too close 30-odd years ago, a large and increasing number of the modern generation will be deaf by the age of 35, because of the cacophony of sound which they get from discotheques and indoor "pop" music? Would it not be possible for the National Health Service to give this branch a better deal?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, I have already admitted that the coverage is very uneven and that a great deal more must be done as soon as possible. Having said that, I must add that there is a good deal of activity going on throughout the country, although it is inadequate, and I will bear in mind what the noble Lord has said.
§ Lord DERWENTMy Lords, to save the Leader of the House any embarrassment, may I ask whether this Question has not goine on long enough?