HC Deb 29 July 1964 vol 699 c301W
Mrs. Hart

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what conclusions on the further development of the cytological service for the early detection of cancer of the cervix has now been reported to him by the Scottish Health Service Council.

Mr. Noble

The Scottish Health Services Council has endorsed the report of the Standing Cancer Committee. The main recommendations in the Report are:

  1. (a) that married women between the ages of 35 and 45 presenting themselves to their family doctors or to hospital clinics should have first priority in the extension of cervical cytology services;
  2. (b) that these services should subsequently be developed to carry out community screening;
  3. (c) that there should be a fairly high degree of centralisation of the laboratory services required; and
  4. (d) that various measures should be taken to increase the number of trained staff engaged on the laboratory aspects of the work.

I am now considering these recommendations.