§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of women aged(a) between 50 and 64 years and (b) over 64 years, have now been screened for breast cancer in each health authority; and how many cases of breast cancer have been detected as a result of this screening.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe NHS is setting up a national breast cancer screening service over the three years to 1990, and the service is not yet operational in all health authority areas. Following the introduction of a new statistical return for breast cancer screening from April 1989, we expect to have details of the percentage of women screened in 1989–90 towards the end of 1990. Preliminary data assembled by the cancer screening evaluation unit from 16 screening centres indicates that, as 681W at June 1989, of 154,191 women aged 50 to 64 invited for screening by these centres, 679 women were found to have breast cancer.