§ Mr. IngramTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the new guidelines issued by the Association of British Insurers relating to the use of the results of genetic testing. [17366]
294W
£ million Cost of advisors 1995–96 Budgeted passenger revenue Budgeted support to BR for whole year Including administered profit1 Support paid at franchising (year 1) Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Intercity West Coast 1.96 251.80 92.53 19.12 76.800 68.362 56.091 53.675 52.254 North London Lines 1.12 64.30 54.87 4.87 48.600 35.501 29.627 26.415 23.040 Thameslink 1.02 82.10 16.43 5.34 2.500 -6.748 -16.204 -22.466 -23.224 Central Trains1 1.14 75.80 198.10 7.64 187.549 173.365 153.681 145.794 140.922 North West Regional Railways1 1.42 54.30 191.90 6.77 184.900 168.900 153.411 140.815 134.828 Regional Railways North East1 1.40 76.30 223.20 7.80 224.539 197.054 175.791 164.311 156.327 ScotRail1 1.31 117.70 292.30 11.17 280.100 264.841 250.539 234.911 220.351 Total 9.37 722.30 1,069.33 62.71 1,004.99 901.28 802.94 743.46 704.50 Savings on BR support 64.34 168.06 266.39 325.88 364.83 Cumulative savings 64.34 232.40 498.79 824.67 1,189.50
§ Mr. Ian Taylor[holding answer 24 February 1997]: I welcome the statement by the Association of British Insurers outlining its current position on genetic testing and the use of genetic information in the underwriting process. The Government have been urging the ABI to make constructive proposals to deal with public concern on this important issue and I am pleased that some progress has been made. The prospect of a wider range of genetic tests becoming available in the future, with greater sophistication in the interpretation of test results, means that the implications for insurance must be kept under constant review. My Department, with the Department of Health, has established the Human Genetic Advisory Commission to examine this sort of issue, taking account of continuing development in genetic science.