§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give figures for the reduction in the numbers of registered independent hearing aid dispensers, on a six-monthly basis, since the introduction of smaller aids in the National Health Service range.
§ Mr. EyreI have been asked to reply.
The available figures of qualified hearing aid dispensers registered with the Hearing Aid Council are:
70W
At 31 December 1974 734 At 31 December 1975 733 At 31 December 1976 766 At 31 December 1977 695 At 31 December 1978 565 The register was extended to cover dispensers in Northern Ireland from 1976. Seventeen dispensers in Northern Ireland are included in the total for 1976.