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Sight Impaired

Volume 460: debated on Thursday 24 May 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England were registered as partially sighted in each year since 1997; (138218)

(2) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England were registered as blind in each year since 1997.

Information for Jarrow constituency is not centrally available.

The number of people who are registered as blind or partially sighted in South Tyneside, the North East of England and England, for all ages, at 31 March for the years 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006 are shown in the following two tables.

Table 1: Number of people registered as blind at 31 March between 1997 and 2006

1997

2000

2003

2006

England

158,600

157,800

156,700

152,500

North East

7,700

7,300

6,700

7,000

South Tyneside

500

500

500

600

Note:

Registration is voluntary; therefore this does not give the total number of blind people.

Source:

SSDA902

Table 2: Number of people registered as partially sighted at 31 March between 1997 and 2006

1997

2000

2003

2006

England

138,200

148,700

155,200

155,200

North East

6,900

7,500

7,600

8,400

South Tyneside

400

500

500

600

Note:

Registration is voluntary; therefore this does not give the total number of partially sighted people.

Source:

SSDA902

Statistics on all registered blind and partially sighted persons are collected triennially from all 150 councils in England.