§ Commander Purseyasked the Minister of Health how many times a patient is required to complain to an optician that the lenses he has prescribed are unsatisfactory, before being eligible for a further free sight test by another optician or ophthalmic medical practitioner.
§ Miss PittA free sight test may be obtained as often as necessary, but opticians and ophthalmic medical practitioners are asked to obtain the permission of the Ophthalmic Services Committee where there has been a previous test within a year.
§ Commander Purseyasked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of eye hospitals, or hospitals with an eye department, which have a visiting optician for out-patients; and how many of these opticians are ophthalmic opticians and dispensing opticians, respectively.
§ Miss PittInformation in the form sought by the hon. and gallant Member is not available, but at 31st December, 1958, 61 ophthalmic opticians and 90 dispensing opticians were employed part-time on a sessional basis by hospital134W authorities. In addition, under interim arrangements still in force at certain hospitals, a proportion of glasses provided under the Hospital Eye Service (less than a tenth of the total) was supplied by dispensing opticians on the basis of negotiated fees.
§ Commander Purseyasked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of prescriptions for spectacles approved by the Hull Executive Council in the months of March, 1959, and March, 1960, respectively; and how many in each month were dispensed with National Health Service frames.
§ Miss PittThe prescriptions for glasses approved by Hull Ophthalmic Services Committee in March, 1959, and March, 1960, were 3,400 and 3,600. respectively. Of the 1959 prescriptions some 1,200 were dispensed with new National Health Service frames: similar information is not yet available for the 1960 prescriptions.