Audiology

Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was (a) the average waiting time for a hearing aid and (b) the audiology budget for each primary care trust covering Portsmouth in each of the last three years; and what each is (i) for 2006-07 and (ii) for the next two years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Ivan Lewis
The information requested is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from modernised hearing aid services.

Dr. Stoate
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her response of 20 June 2006, Official Report, column 1789W to my hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle), on audiology, within what average period new patients in (a) the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley primary care trust (PCT) area and (b) each other PCT area in the new south east coast strategic health authority area have been fitted with digital hearing aids since they became available in each PCT.

Mr. Ivan Lewis
The information requested is not collected centrally.

John Penrose
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times from GP referral to fitting of digital hearing aids are for (a) new patients and (b) existing patients with an analogue hearing aid in the North Somerset primary care trust area.

Mr. Ivan Lewis
The information requested is not available.

Joan Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to collect waiting time data for hearing aid services.

Mr. Ivan Lewis
The Department does not collect waiting time data for audiology services. However, since January 2006 we have been collecting waiting time and activity data for 15 diagnostic tests or procedures, including pure tone audiometry. This data has been shared with the national health service, for performance management purposes since 2 June 2006. This data will be published on 12 July 2006.