§ Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he has received a report of the meeting of the British Standards Institute committee TCL/2/1 and representatives of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf on 9 December 1982 on the question of telephones and the hard of hearing; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButcherI have received a report on the meeting between the British Standards Institution's technical committee TCL/2/1 and representatives of the hard of hearing. The case made on behalf of the hard of hearing was a forceful one, but there was disagreement over the costs to be borne by all telephone users if the measures proposed by the hard of hearing were adopted, and also on the extent to which these measures could restrict innovation and reduce the competitiveness of British manufacturers of telephones.
I am arranging for further consultations to take place under the auspices of the Department of Industry so as to establish with certainty the facts on which I can decide whether it should be made mandatory for all telephones to incorporate an inductive coupler for use with hearing aids.