Written question asked by Lee Scott (Conservative) on Tuesday, 11 November 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 13 November 2008. It was answered by Phil Hope (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 November 2008 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Hearing Aid Council

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Hearing Aid Council is to cease operation on 31 March 2010 rather than 31 March 2009; and what estimate he has made of the cost of a further year of operation.

Answer: The Health and Social Care Act 2008, which enables the abolition of the Hearing Aid Council and the transfer of responsibility for the regulation of hearing aid dispensers to the Health Professions Council, received Royal Assent on 28 July 2008.Since the Act received Royal Assent, a working group has been set up comprising the Department of Health, the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the Hearing Aid Council and the Health Professions Council. It is working towards the required secondary legislation to allow the closure of the Hearing Aid Council and the transfer of its register. It is not possible to complete the Parliamentary process by March 2009, and therefore it has been agreed by the working group to work towards March 2010 as the date of the transfer of the register of dispensers.While operational costs are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, I can confirm that the Hearing Aid Council is a non-departmental public body. They do not receive any Government funding and recover their costs from the individual dispensers and their employers via an annual fee.

Secondary information