§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the value of goods and services provided under the National Health Service by opticians in Staffordshire in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. AlisonUnder the general ophthalmic services, payments to opticians by the Staffordshire Executive Council, plus charges paid by the patients under the National Health Service Acts 1951 and 1961 and retained by opticians, were:
£ 1967–68 … … … 188,400 1968–69 … … … 200,900 1969–70 … … … 226,000 1970–71 … … … 264,600 1971–72 … … … 248,100 These figures exclude:
statistics of which are not centrally collected.
- (a) the charges payable by patients under the National Health Service Act 1946 for
142 repairs and replacements necessitated by lack of care and for various goods and services which may be supplied at the patient's option, and - (b) payments to opticians by hospital authorities and by patients for their work under the hospital eye service,