asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish figures, on the same basic assumptions as in his reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report, 1 May, comparing annual net spending power for a married man with two children aged 12 and 14 years in each of the following circumstances (a) when working throughout the current tax year and earning £5,500, (b) when working for the first six months, earning £2,750, and drawing supplementary benefit for the last six months and (b)when dependent on supplementary benefit assuming, in each case, first that supplementary benefit is tax-

					1st issues	Exchanges	Replacements	Total
1978	…	…	…	…	497	1,083	199	1,779
1979	…	…	…	…	2,333	4,685	2,143	9,161
The costs of supplying this aid were £41,950 in 1978 and £260,540 in 1979.

As to the planned extension of NHS hearing aid provision over the next two years, starting this month, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney) on 19 December 1979.—[Vol. 976, c.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the phasing-in of behind-the-ear hearing aids under the National Health Service for people who are hearing-impaired.

The NHS BE10 series of medium power behind-the-ear hearing aids which was introduced in 1974 is now generally available and five models in this series are currently being supplied.

I regret that I am unable to provide comparative figures until the November 1980 needs allowances for housing benefits are known.