§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to revise the arrangements for certifying a person as blind or partially sighted; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe content and format of form BD8, which is used by consultant ophthalmologists to certify a person as blind or partially sighted, has been substantially revised following the recommendations of the working group on inter-agency collaboration on visual handicap. The new form, which was introduced on 1 April 1990, has been distributed to health authorities together with instructions for its use. The new form is designed to secure significant improvements in the way that data are collected about the causes of blindness and partial sight and more efficient arrangements for passing on relevant information to the visually handicapped person's GP and local social services department. These improvements will assist local authorities in the effective planning and delivery of services for visually handicapped people.