HC Deb 22 February 1994 vol 238 cc208-9W
Ms Corston

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to ensure adequate central monitoring of the level of infertility treatment provision in England.

Mr. Illsley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what inquiries she has made into the level of awareness among general practitioners as to the availability of infertility provision in their area;

(2) if she will list the centres throughout the United Kingdom which provide treatment for infertility, together with the type of treatment provided, the number of centers which provide infertility treatment for men and the number of centres which provide infertility treatment on the national health service;

(3) if she will list the district health authorities which provide infertility treatment under the national health service, together with the treatment centre with which they are contracted for such treatment;

(4) what statistics are collected on the level of provision of infertility treatment; and what plans she has to increase the amount of data collected.

Mr. Sackville

Information on centres which provide regulated treatment services under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 is collected by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. This covers both private and national health service provision. Details of centres licensed by the HFEA are included in their annual reports, copies of which have been placed in the Library. In addition, limited information on in-patient and day case episodes in NHS hospitals is available centrally from the hospital episodes statistics, copies of which are available in the Library. District health authorities and general practitioner fundholders are responsible for identifying the health needs of their local population and for commissioning the appropriate services.

Ms Corston

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the reasons for the decision to exclude provision of infertility treatments from the coverage of the local GP fundholding contracts.

Dr. Mawhinney

Infertility treatments on an outpatient basis are already included within the scope of the fundholding scheme. High cost in-patient procedures are not included, as fundholding covers only treatments up to £5,000.

Mr. Illsley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given by her Department to district health authorities with regard to the provision of infertility treatments.

Mr. Sackville

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Jones) on 14 January, at column315.