§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that all women aged over 65 years will be offered breast cancer screening in the same way as women aged 50 to 64 years. [3137]
§ Mr. HoramThe Government announced proposals on 18 October for pilot schemes in Northern and Yorkshire, and South Thames regions to evaluate the effectiveness of extending the call/recall breast screening programme to women up to the age of 69. These schemes will run for three years to enable an assessment of the likely uptake, effect on work load, and effectiveness in terms of cancers detected. We will base any changes to our policy on the evidence emerging from these studies.
Women over 65 can continue to have three-yearly breast screening free of charge if they request it. This facility has been well publicised in leaflets available in general practitioner surgeries and clinics as well as in breast screening centres.