§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will seek powers to prohibit 536W advertising by unqualified retailers of spectacles until such time as qualified and registered opticians are legally entitled to advertise.
§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke[pursuant to his reply, 26 November 1984, c. 389]: No. Restrictions on advertising by registered opticians are imposed in rules made by the General Optical Council, on which registered opticians are strongly represented. However if the GOC agrees to changes recently put to it by the Privy Council, these restrictions could be swiftly removed to the benefit of both the public and the profession.
Competition from alternative suppliers should have a significant impact on the price paid by the public for glasses. It would be absurd to deny the public information about the availability of glasses from new suppliers.