§ Mr. ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners will be eligible for free eye prescriptions in(a) the Medway towns and (b) Chatham and Aylesford in April. [75553]
§ Mr. DenhamFrom 1 April 1999, everyone aged 60 and over will be eligible for free National Health Service sight tests. We cannot make population estimates for areas within local authority boundaries. We estimate that there are some 40,000 people aged 60 and over resident in the area of the Medway Unitary Authority.