asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average waiting time in each health district in Kent between the first reference by a general practitioner of a patient requiring a hearing aid and the date by which that appliance is finally supplied.

This information is not available in the form requested. The average waiting time in respect of each of the four centres supplying hearing aids in Kent, between referral by a general practitioner and the supply of hearing appliance, is as follows: Dartford four to four and a half months; Canterbury seven to eight months; Tunbridge Wells two to two and a half months; Maidstone 16 months. It is hoped that improvements being undertaken at Maidstone will reduce the waiting time to six months by the end of the summer. Moreover, I have asked the Kent area health authority to consider ways in which the waiting time in respect of the Canterbury centre might be improved.