DIGITAL HEARING AIDS IN THE NHS

Early day motion 339, tabled 1 November 2001 by Liam Fox (Conservative). Signed by 27 members.

That this House notes the commitment in the 2001 Conservative Party manifesto to provide digital hearing aids to everyone who would benefit from them over a three year period; shares the concern of the RNID that fewer than five per cent of people in need of hearing aids have access to NHS digital hearing aids, depriving almost two million existing users of an improved quality of life; is further concerned that waiting times for hearing tests and hearing aids have actually lengthened over the past two years and some patients wait for up to 24 months to receive aids, condemning many elderly people in particular to the loss of independence which hearing impairment brings; further notes the Government's failure to commit to proper funding to extend the first wave sites for improving hearing aid services; and calls on the Government to stop treating people with hearing disabilities as second-class citizens and to set about providing digital hearing aids for the backlog of people who need them without further delay.

Signatures by party: Conservative 19, Labour 3, UUP 2, Labour/Co-operative 1, Liberal Democrat 1, Plaid Cymru 1.