§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the revenue to the NHS from charges for(a) examinations and (b) prescriptions by opticians for the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.[126061]
§ Mr. HuttonThere are no charges for National Health Service sight tests or prescriptions for spectacles. People ineligible for free NHS sight tests pay for a private test. Where children under 16 and people on low incomes are prescribed glasses they are entitled to an optical voucher60W which they may use to pay for spectacles from a basic range or put towards a more expensive pair of their own choice.