§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's guidance on services provided by local authority social services departments on equipment to assist deaf and hard of hearing people. [108788]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department has made clear the benefits of appropriate equipment and adaptations as part of service provision for people with hearing impairment and have emphasised, most recently through 'Better Care, Higher Standards', the importance of speedy delivery of appropriate equipment to all disabled people. Service provision will be monitored through the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care Project with further information provided through the Performance Assessment Framework.