§ Mr. JoplingTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost of a test for AIDS.
§ Mr. NewtonThis information is not available centrally other than for the blood transfusion service and the public health laboratory ervice. The cost of testing a blood donation for HIV antibody is estimated as 90p. The estimated average cost of testing by the PHLS is between £3 and £5; this figure is higher because the laboratories' work includes the lower-volume and more expensive confirmatory testing of initial positive tests. Costs of counselling associated with testing would have to be added for tests for people who are concerned they might have been infected.
§ Mr. William SheltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of deaths resulting from AIDS which was transmitted heterosexually, for each year from 1983 to 1987.
§ Mr. NewtonThe reported number of deaths in the United Kingdom in each year from 1983 to 1987 from AIDS thought to have been acquired heterosexually is shown in the table. There may have been others, unreported.
Year Number of reported deaths 1983 4 1984 2 1985 1 1986 7 1987 6