§ Lord Northfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they will change the membership of the General Optical Council to give greater weight to the interests of consumers; and
§ What is the present balance of membership of the General Optical Council as between professional and allied interests on the one hand and lay members on the other hand; and how long each of the existing members has served.
§ Baroness HooperThe General Optical Council consists of 28 members; six lay members and 22 members representing professional and allied interests. The interests represented are as follows:—
All members serve a term of five years. A breakdown of members' appointment and retirement dates is given in the table.
- (a) Five persons appointed by the Privy Council;
- (b) Seven persons chosen to represent registered ophthalmic opticians;
- (c) Three persons chosen to represent registered dispensing opticians;
- (d) Six persons nominated by the examining bodies;
- (e) Six medical practitioners;
- (f) One person nominated by the Privy Council to represent Northern Ireland.
We have no plans to amend the Opticians Act to alter either the constitution of the Council or the composition of its membership.
| Name | Appointment Date | Retirement Date |
| Lay Members Appointed by the Privy Council: | ||
| Mr David Burt (Chairman) | 1st January 1989 | 31st December 1993 |
| Mrs Elizabeth Stanton | 1st January 1989 | 31st December 1993 |
| Dr E. S. Page | 1st January 1989 | 31st December 1993 |
| Miss Diana Rookledge | 1st January 1989 | 31st December 1993 |
| Mr Douglas Boyd | 1st January 1989 | 31st December 1993 |