Health Bill

I feel I must take up what the Minister said about decades of neglect of the National Health Service. I do not think that we want to rerun the 1997 election, but I can point to a host of indicators that show not only that the last Conservative Government put more money into the health service in real terms year by year, but that between 1979 and 1997 the health service improved beyond recognition. It is not just the present Government who have put money into the health service, although I recognise that they have put in substantial funds. Having got that off my chest, the essence of my amendment can be summed up in three words: ““get in early””. As we all know, regular eye examinations for adults can pick up early signs of glaucoma and other conditions and they can be limited. It is particularly important that children have regular eye examinations to avoid preventable visual handicaps. Until about the age of seven, a child’s visual system is still developing and deficits, such as squint or astigmatism, that remain undetected or untreated during that period can lead to permanent visual loss. So while I take on board what the Minister said about children’s needs already being met, as she perceives it, much depends on when children are examined. I recognise that my amendment is rather prescriptive, but it would mean that more children were tested at a younger age, which could well have extremely beneficial effects, rather than leaving testing until later in their development.