Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to hearing services in rural areas.

NHS audiology services are locally commissioned, and the responsibility for prioritising primary care audiology lies with local NHS Service Commissioners. NHS England is supporting the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make informed decisions about the provision of audiology services so that they can provide consistent, high quality, and integrated care.