Clause 38 - Local Optical Committees
Health Bill
5:15 pm
Stephen Williams (Shadow Minister, Health; Bristol West, Liberal Democrat)
Our amendments Nos. 116 and 117 essentially make the same points as those made by the hon. Member for Westbury and address the interdependency between optometrists and ophthalmic dispensers. I have mentioned several times the meeting that I had in my constituency with various members of the eye profession. It included optometrists and ophthalmic dispensers, and I learned for the first time the difference between the two. As a layman I had thought that they were all opticians, but I learned a lot at that meeting and I have learned a lot today, as I am sure we all have.
We discussed the key interdependence, particularly the financial one, when considering clause 34. The optometrist is the key professional clinician who carries out the initial health check on people's eyes and the ophthalmic dispenser then fits lenses and matches the prescription to the needs of patients. Clearly, one cannot exist without the other and there are many professional analogies, including in my tax profession. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and can give taxation advice to people, but my profession would not exist without the skilled technicians—members of the Association of Taxation Technicians—who do much of the essential work in working out people's tax liability.
The same is true in the eye profession, except perhaps that the value seems to lie with the skilled technicians—the ophthalmic dispensers. I referred earlier to the fee that optometrists receive for an eye test, which is a pathetic £18.39, but the value to their business is the sale and fitting of lenses that are provided by ophthalmic dispensers. It seems strange that when a committee is designed to discuss local services—new section 45C(4) to the 1977 Act refers to it as the ''Local Optical Committee'', not a local optometrist committee—ophthalmic dispensers are not considered eligible and fit to be members of that committee. That is a regrettable omission and should be corrected.
Amendments Nos. 116 and 117 relate to amendment No. 33, which was tabled by the hon. Member for Westbury, and amendment No. 118 is tagged on. It refers to new section 45C(3)(b) of the 1977 Act, which requires notification. That provision seems to be unnecessary, so will the Minister explain why it is necessary for it to be part of the Bill?