§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in the Wolverhampton area have been waiting to obtain a hearing aid for (a) six months, (b) one year, (c) two years and (d) two and a half years or more.
§ Mr. NewtonI am sorry I cannot give the hon. Member the information she seeks. It is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may therefore wish to contact the chairman of Wolverhampton health authority direct.
§ Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to how many people in Great Britain wear hearing aids and as to how many of these are supplied on the National Health Service.
§ Mr. NewtonIt is estimated that over 1¼ million hearing aids are in use, and that 80 per cent. of these are supplied by the National Health Service.