§ Mr. O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had eye checks in March 1988, 1989 and 1990.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyData on NHS sight tests are collected on a six-monthly, not a monthly, basis. During the six-month period ending 31 March 1988, 6.1 million sight tests were paid for in England; the comparable figure for the six months ending 31 March 1989 was 6.7 million. Figures on the number of NHS sight tests only for the six-month period ending 31 March 1990 are not yet available. These figures will not include details on the number of private sight tests carried out during that period and will not therefore be directly comparable.