Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce a NHS tariff price for ear wax removal services.

We have no plans to do so. Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including ear wax removal, are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups, which plan services to meet the needs of local communities. Local commissioners should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax services.

If a clinician considers removal clinically necessary, informed by guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in that area.