HC Deb 21 April 1989 vol 151 cc344-5W
Mr. Alfred Morris

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what stage has been reached in the review being undertaken by the National Health Service Training Agency into the hearing therapy service; when he expects the report to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Mellor

Provision of hearing therapy and employment of hearing therapists in the National Health Service are the responsibility of health authorities. The National Health Service training authority is concerned with the training required for health authorities to achieve the supply of skills they require. In this connection the authority has been reviewing future training provision for hearing therapists and the development of standards-based vocational qualifications. Proposals have been made to the care sector consortium and the Training Agency, and the British Society of Hearing Therapists has been invited to comment.