§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what ways he is considering of excluding unregistered sellers from supplying glasses for the blind and partially sighted; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 24 May 1984 c. 508.]: At the Committee stage of the Health and Social Security Bill I gave an undertaking that we would find some suitable way of reserving dispensing to registered blind people to registered opticians. We will consult on the exact terms of the necessary orders.
277WPeople who are registered partially sighted will usually be advised by their medical advisers to obtain glasses from a qualified dispensing optician, but we are not at the moment convinced that the law should deprive all registered partially sighted of the right to choose where they should obtain their spectacles and expose them to possible extra financial costs which might be avoided by the rest of the population. I am still considering representations on the matter.