Vol. 487 No. 7
70 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Defence if his Department has considered providing high tone hearing aids to serving personnel who require them and permitting corrected hearing in examinations for medical grading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4862/98]
193 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence if his Department has considered providing high tone hearing aids to serving personnel who require them, and permitting corrected hearing in examination for medical grading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5228/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 193 together.
The grading of keenness of hearing within the Defence Forces medical classification system is designed primarily for the purpose of diagnosing and classifying any hearing impairment to facilitate the implementation of an appropriate care of hearing programme. Screening audiometry is conducted in accordance with the methods and parameters prescribed in the Health and Safety Authority's Guidelines on Hearing Checks and Audiometry issued pursuant to the (Protection of Workers) (Exposure to Noise) Regulations 1990 (S. I. No. 157 of 1990) and requires unaided air conduction audiometry. The use of hearing aids would defeat its stated purpose and in any case the minimum standard of keenness of hearing required for retention in the Defence Fores is related to hearing loss in the lower tones which are related to the ability to hear verbal sounds. The provision of high tone or microchip tonespecific aids, still in their early stage of development, would be of no value. Under the Defence Force regulations, no one suffering from high tone loss alone would be discharged from the Permanent Defence Force.
