§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many policemen received financial assistance towards dental, optical or medical treatment in 1983 and 1984; what was the cost in each case; and why the officers were assisted.
§ Mr. AncramThe detailed information requested is not readily available and could not be obtained from police authorities without disproportionate cost.
Before the introduction of the National Health Service, police officers were entitled to free medical and dental treatment as part of their conditions of service. When NHS charges were introduced, it was therefore agreed that officers should be reimbursed for medical or dental treatment on the basis of NHS charges. Reimbursement of the costs of approved types of spectacles or contact lenses suitable for use by serving officers while on outside duty stems from a recommendation by the Police Advisory 245W Board for Scotland that candidates for the police service who are otherwise suitable but who need to wear spectacles or contact lenses should be regarded as acceptable if they are able to satisfy certain minimum standards of vision.