§ Mr. BerryTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to spend more than the £20 million investment in audiology services announced on 24 December 2001. [65084]
§ Jacqui SmithSince 2000–01, we have invested £30.75 million in modernising hearing aid services, including the provision of digital hearing aids. Recently a team led by James Strachan, chief executive of Royal National Institute for the Deaf, has been successful in negotiating a significant reduction in the cost to the national health service of purchasing digital hearing aids. These price reductions will enable the rollout of modernised services to proceed more quickly.