HL Deb 07 December 1989 vol 513 cc1116-7WA
Lord Northfield

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they intend to take against opticians who, in breach of the Opticians Act, advertise free sight tests on condition that any spectacles prescribed are purchased from that optician.

Baroness Hooper

Under the terms of the Opticians Act 1989, responsibility for upholding the standards and integrity of the optical profession rests with the General Optical Council. It is for them to take action against any optician in breach of the Act, this would include abuse of advertising conditions for sight tests.

Lord Northfield

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they propose to take following the findings of a survey financed by the Department of Health indicating that one in every five children who have prescribed spectacles had perfect eyesight and that the cost of this over-prescribing to children is estimated at £5.4 million.

Baroness Hooper

I presume that the noble Lord is referring to the study carried out by the Department of Child Health at the University of Bristol part-funded by the Department of Health and published in 1985. Although the report did conclude that there was a possibility of spectacles being over-prescribed for school children, there are conflicting professional views on the criteria used in coming to this conclusion. The report itself accepts that the method employed constituted a "very blunt instrument for measuring visual function" and also recognised that there were certain weaknesses in the way in which the study had been conducted. The results obtained although informative are still no more than speculative. The Department of Health however has taken full note of the general issues raised by the report.

Lord Northfield

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will withdraw Ministry of Health leaflet G11 which advises the public to send complaints about opticians and spectacles to an address which proves to be that of the trade association of optometrists and substitute advice to write to the disciplinary committee of the General Optical Council.

Baroness Hooper

We have no plans to withdraw or amend leaflet G11. The consumer complaints service of the Association of Optometrists mentioned in leaflet G11 provides the consumer with a financially independent service for dealing with complaints about services or goods supplied by opticians. The complaints service liases closely with similar "in-house" sections of the two main optical corporate bodies and also, on ethical matters, with the British College of Optometrists. The disciplinary committee of the General Optical Council can, by statute, only deal with cases of serious professional misconduct or breach of General Optical Council Rules by opticians. A complaint received by the consumer complaints service suggesting serious professional misconduct would be referred to the General Optical Council for investigation.