HC Deb 12 April 1988 vol 131 cc1-2
1. Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has made any assessment of the cost effectiveness of screening at birth for sickle cell anaemia.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mrs. Edwina Currie)

Studies in the USA and in this country suggest that while screening all babies for sickle cell anaemia would not be cost effective, it is valuable to screen babies from certain groups with high risk. That is now being done in a large number of health authorities, including Manchester.

Mr. Lloyd

Will the Minister confirm that in the cases of hyperthyroidism and phenylketonuria, whose incidence is only one in 10,000 of the population, screening is automatic at birth, but that for sickle cell anaemia, which occurs as often as one in 400 among affected groups, no such provision exists? The Minister tells the House that screening exists in some places, but the service is patchy and inadequate and many black people take the view that if this disease were suffered by white people screening would be automatic. I share their view that this is an example of colour blindness within the National Health Service.

Mrs. Currie

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the report in the British Medical Journal of 15 March 1986, which, having examined the pattern of screening in, for example, the Camberwell health authority, clearly stated that it would not be worth while doing it for all babies, but that it would be for babies that might be at risk.

Ms. Harman

Is the Minister not concerned that, while more babies are being born, maternity beds are being cut; that a low birth-weight baby has less chance of getting into a special-care baby cot today than five years ago; and that women's choice on where to have their babies is being restricted by the closure of smaller maternity units? Will she reconvene the maternity services advisory committee—

Mr. Speaker

Order. The. Front Bench must stick to the question.

Ms. Harman

Will the Minister reconvene the maternity services advisory committee—

Mr. Speaker

Order. We must start this part of the Session in good order. The hon. Lady must bring her question to an end now.

Mrs. Currie

As you rightly point out, Mr. Speaker. that question has little to do with screening for sickle cell anaemia. However, I refer the hon. Lady to the discussion that we had on the same issue in response to one of her hon. Friends, back in October, when I pointed out that, on average in this country, one baby is born per maternity bed per week, which does not suggest overcrowding or lack of resources.