HC Deb 21 November 2000 vol 357 cc164-5W
Mr. Levitt

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress made in reform of the NHS Hearing Aid Service. [138270]

Mr. Hutton

The Department is funding a project worth £4 million this year at 20 National Health Service hearing aid departments. The project will evaluate leading edge digital hearing aids for NHS patients and the associated service delivery changes arising from incorporating information technology based assessment and fitting procedures.

Three NHS hearing aid departments have started to fit digital hearing aids to NHS patients and a further 12 departments will do so before April; the remaining five departments will join the project in 2001–02.