§ 61. Mr. Gowerasked the Minister of Health what progress has been made in the provision through the National Health Service of the bone-conductor type of hearing aids for deaf people.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThey are on order and I hope distribution will begin next month.
§ 62. Mr. Murrayasked the Minister of Health how many persons are on the waiting lists for hearing aids at the Dry-burn and Durham County Hospitals; how many are priority cases; how long they have been waiting; how many are non-priority cases; and what is the length of the waiting period.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodTwo hundred and nine patients who applied for hearing aids at these hospitals are still waiting. All are non-priority patients. Those now being fitted at the distribution centre at Sunderland were referred there just under two years ago.
77. The Rev. LI. Williamsasked the Minister of Health to what extent the waiting period for the fitting of a deaf aid is declining; and what is the present normal wait after a patient is certified to be in need of a deaf aid.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThe waiting period and the rate at which waiting lists are being reduced vary considerably from centre to centre, but during the six months ended 30th August lists were reduced over the country as a whole by about a quarter.