§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) at which hospitals in Scotland cochlear implants are available for young children;
(2) what restrictions apply to Crosshouse hospital carrying out further cochlear implants in the rest of the current financial year;
(3) when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie of 20 December relating to operations for cochlear implants;
(4) how many staff in Crosshouse hospital are skilled in conducting cochlear implants;
(5) if he will make a statement about the consequences for young deaf children of delaying cochlear implant operations;
(6) if he will make more funds available for cochlear implants in Scotland during the current financial year;
(7) how many children are on the waiting list for cochlear implants in Scotland;
(8) how many children have had cochlear implant operations postponed because of financial restrictions at Crosshouse hospital this year;
(9) how many cochlear implant operations have been carried out at Crosshouse hospital in each month of the current financial year; and how many operations are projected for the remaining months of this financial year;
(10) what proposals he has to increase the budget for cochlear implants at Crosshouse hospital in the next financial year; and what assessment he has made of the correlation between increases in funding and the number of operations performed.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonPaediatric cochlear implantation is at present centrally funded as a national specialist service and is provided at Crosshouse hospital, Kilmarnock which is part of the North Ayrshire and Arran NHS trust. Funding in 1994–95 has enabled five paediatric operations to be carried out. The service is provided by a multi-disciplinary team led by a consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon.
There are currently five children on the waiting list for cochlear implantation. No child on the waiting list has been given a date for operation in the current financial year which has subsequently been postponed. The waiting list is prioritised according to who needs treatment most urgently. A recent Medical Research Council evaluation study has indicated that, in general terms, cochlear implantation has favourable outcomes up to the age of seven years.
Provision of cochlear implantation services in Scotland is currently under review and future funding requirements will be identified following consideration of the MRC evaluation of cochlear implantation and the paediatric cochlear implantation needs assessment. Both are to be published shortly.
The following operations have been carried out in the current financial year. No further operations are expected to take place in the remainder of the year.
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Adult Child April 1 1 May — 1 June 2 — July 1 1 August 1 — September — — October 1 1 November — — December — 1 January 11 — Total 7 5 1 One operation has been charged to the "Help to Hear" Fund A reply to the hon. Member's letter of 20 December was issued on 26 January.