§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence his Department has collected about the efficiency of self screening for breast cancer; and what resources have been made available to promote this method since its public endorsement by the Minister for Health.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 7 February at column577. In addition, leaflets describing breast self-examination are freely available from the Health Education Council; and from the Women's National Cancer Control Campaign to whom we gave a grant of £68,000 in 1983–84, towards their central administrative expenses, and an additional grant of £18,500 to update their literature, including a breast self-examination leaflet. Although the preliminary results of the breast cancer screening trial will not be available until 1988, in the meantime expert advice is that women should be encouraged to examine their own breasts with the aid of the leaflets and report any abnormality to their doctors.