§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the Official Report such information as he has on the level of provision by national health services in other industrialised countries of assistance with the provision of hearing aids; and how this compares with provision in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. NewtonInformation on the provision of hearing aids in other countries is not held in the Department but I understand that some information is given from time to time in theHearing Aid Journal, copies of which are held in the library of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. In this country hearing aids provided under the National Health Service are issued on free loan and expenditure on the standard range in England totalled 10.5 million in the financial year 1983–84.