§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total cost of research in the current financial year at present being undertaken by the Department into deafness in children.
§ Mr. Alison:There are no research projects in the current financial year aimed specifically at deafness in children.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) when transistorised hearing aids will be available to all children requiring them;
(2) how many children, after leaving school having been equipped with a transistorised hearing aid, are then refused replacement with an aid of the same type.
§ Mr. Alison:All hearing aids issued through the National Health Service are transistorised. A head-worn model (OL 67) has been available since 1969 to all children for whom it is suitable. The number of children who are refused replacement of their head-worn aid if it has to be withdrawn for repair after they leave school is not known, but it is likely to be small at present. The aid has proved reliable in service and has a good potential life.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children entering primary schools require hearing aids.
§ Mr. Alison:The information is not available.
§ Dr. Vaughanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many centres equipped for the full assessment of a child's hearing are at present available, and how many are planned.
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§ Mr. Alison:It is not possible to provide this information because of the differing circumstances in which full assessment of a child's hearing may take place in the community. As regards hospitals, we have recently made over £1 million available to hospital authorities to enable 37 new comprehensive assessment centres to be established which will provide facilities for assessing children with any handicapping condition, including deafness. Others are planned.
§ Dr. Stuttafordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research the Department is undertaking on hearing aids for teenagers; when the research was started; and when the findings will be published.
§ Mr. Alison:Research currently being sponsored by my Department is designed to benefit all hearing aid users, including teenagers.
§ Dr. Stuttafordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children below the age of 16 years have hearing aids, and of what type.
§ Mr. Alison:I regret that information is not available in the form requested, but it is estimated that about 15,000 children at school in England and Wales have hearing aids.
§ Dr. Stuttafordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children below the age of 16 years are both deaf, or partially deaf, and blind.
§ Mr. Alison:The information is not available, but I understand that local education authorities in England knew of 460 children with defects of both sight and hearing in 1971.
§ Dr. Stuttafordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many children are assessed for the first time as being deaf, or partially deaf, at one year, two years, three years, four years, five years, and six years of age, respectively.
§ Mr. Alison:The information is not available but I understand that in 1970, 59 deaf and 53 partially hearing children below age 5 were assessed by the Depart- 236W ment of Education and Science as needing special educational treatment. 1971 figures are not yet available.