§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 17 March 2004,Official Report, column 386W, on cystic fibrosis screening, if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the National Screening Committee on implementation of the Government's commitment to newborn screening for cystic fibrosis. [170582]
§ Dr. LadymanFollowing discussion at its meeting in March 2004 the United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) has asked the UK newborn screening programme centre, a collaboration between Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the Institute of Child Health and the Institute of Education to develop an implementation plan.
The expectation is that, in England, with the emphasis in the current year on bringing existing provision up to high standards, this will enable a roll-out within two to three years. The precise pace of the roll-out will be determined by local priorities. However the NSC will be providing advice and help on costs, feasibility and timetables and learning from the experience of other UK countries.