§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding is currently allocated to each health region in England towards the provision of services for the detection of inherited metabolic disease; and if she will make it her policy to ensure adequate funding is granted to existing schemes for a two-year period to allow successor arrangements to be fully evaluated.
§ Mr. SackvilleServices for the detection of inherited metabolic disease are funded out of general allocations to regional health authorities. Such allocations are made on the basis of the size, age and relative health of their resident populations. In turn regional health authorities fund their districts broadly on the same basis. District health authorities are responsible for purchasing health services for their populations including national health service genetic services which are provided by regional genetic centres, the supraregional assay service and in certain NHS trusts and directly managed units.