HC Deb 24 July 1991 vol 195 cc680-1W
Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will change the relevant regulations so that opticians providing a service under the national health service are obliged to ensure that each patient is offered at least one pair of spectacles at a cost within the value of the NHS voucher.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Buying spectacles is a private transaction between the optician and his patient and it is not appropriate for the Government to intervene. The majority of retailers sell spectacles within the voucher values.