§ 19. Mr. Wardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to seek to repeal the Opticians Act 1958.
§ Sir George YoungThe Government consider that it would be against the best interests of patients to abolish the statutory restrictions on the testing of sight and the supply of optical appliances laid down by the Opticians Act. It would be a retrograde step to allow optical services to be provided by unqualified practitioners, particularly because the testing of sight, which includes examination of the eyes, provides a valuable opportunity for the early detection of eye and other diseases.