Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason it is his Department's policy that a national eye care strategy for England is unnecessary.

Regionally based National Health Service commissioners are responsible for commissioning secondary care ophthalmology services, out of hospital services from primary eye care providers and the NHS sight testing service. These services are put in place to meet local identified needs, which vary across the country. It is therefore important to allow local areas to set their own priorities. However, we would expect commissioners to take into account NHS England and NHS Improvement’s national guidance, such as the priorities and operational planning guidance, which will have implications for the delivery of eye care services.