HC Deb 06 May 1993 vol 224 cc209-10W
Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to set a ceiling on the amount a health board may charge for infertility treatment.

Mr. Stewart

Services are either provided under the national health service, in which case no charge is made, or privately, in which case the charge is determined by the clinic concerned.

Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received following his rejection of the National Medical Advisory Committee's recommendations that treatment for infertility at the Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow units should be centrally funded.

Mr. Stewart

Representations have been received from right hon. and hon. Members on behalf of constituents, from infertile couples and other individuals and from a body concerned with the interests of those with fertility problems.

Mrs. Fyfe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many couples received assisted conception treatment in 1992 at each of the Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow units; what was the average cost at each; and what contribution was made by the local health board and the individuals concerned.

Mr. Stewart

Information on the number of couples receiving treatment in 1992 will not be available from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for some time yet. However, details of the number of treatment cycles provided during 1991 should be available from the authority in July of this year.

As the treatment at the Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee centres is offered on a private basis, information on average costs and the precise funding arrangements is not held centrally. However, the National Medical Advisory Committee report "Infertility Services in Scotland" shows that patients have been charged £1,450 per treatment cycle at Aberdeen and £1,250 at Edinburgh. At Dundee, patients were asked to consider offering a donation towards the costs of their treatment. No charge is made for treatment at the Glasgow centre which operates within the NHS.