§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services under what circumstances laryngectomy speech aids are given to patients via the National Health Service.
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§ Mr. WhitneySpeech aids are given to those patients who do not develop oesophageal speech after surgery, or who also require an "interim" solution. Where such speech aids are needed they are normally prescribed on the National Health Service by the hospital consultant concerned, although the decision as to type of aid may sometimes be left to the speech therapist. Provision of the aid, like any other item of NHS expenditure, is dependent on the ability of individual health authorities to meet the cost and this can cause delay in provision.