§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what studies his Department has made and is making of the movement in the price of glasses before and after the implementation of the optical provisions of the Health and Social Services Act 1984.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI see no worthwhile purpose in carrying out detailed studies in an attempt to arrive at statistically sound before-and-after comparisons in such a diverse field as spectacles. Such studies could be very expensive and time consuming. We are collecting general 237W information on opticians' prices and the selections of new budget frames that are coming on the market. We are satisfied that a wider range of lower priced spectacles has become available as a result of the implementation of the Act.