§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free eye tests were undertaken in Pendle in each year since 1995. [12401]
§ Jacqui SmithI apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002,Official Report, column 192W.
Information specific to the Pendle area is not available centrally. However the total number of sight tests carried out within the East Lancashire health authority from 1996–97 onwards is as follows:
Number 1996–97 81,242 1997–98 82,270 1998–99 80,493 1999–2000 103,719 2000–01 105,480 Notes:
1. Information for the year 1995–96 has been excluded due to health authority boundary changes and as such the data are not comparable.
832W2. Nearly all the increase for the years 1999–2000 and 2000–01 is due to the extension of eligibility for national health service sight test to all those aged 60 and over from I April 1999.