asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many outpatients in Northern Ireland are waiting to have a hearing aid fitted or exchanged; and what is the average waiting time.

At 31 December 1984, the latest date for which figures are available, the total number for whom an appointment had been made or who were on the waiting list for the fitting of an aid, including replacements, was 742.A recent departmental survey indicates that, in general, aids are issued within seven weeks of the first appointment with a consultant.