HC Deb 22 January 1997 vol 288 cc669-70W
Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to review the level of financial contributions the patient makes towards the cost of IVF treatment; [11794]

(2) what financial contribution patients are asked to make to the cost of their IVF treatment; [11795]

(3) if he will make a statement on the funding of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; [11796]

(4) how much of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's funding is received from patients requiring in vitro fertilisation treatments; [11797]

(5) how much of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's funding is received from doctors providing an in vitro vertilisation treatment. [11798]

Mr. Horam

In considering the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, Parliament decided that a proportion of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's costs should be recovered by charging fees to licensed centres. The current aim is for 70 per cent. of the authority's costs to be met through fees from licensing, with the taxpayer meeting the remaining 30 per cent. This proportion is due to be reviewed by April 1998.

Licensed treatment clinics are required by the authority to pay an initial application fee of £250. A one-off fee of £100 is charged for each research licence and each storage facility licence. Renewal licences are charged according to the number of treatments conducted by the clinic. The charge rate is £40 for each IVF cycle and £10 for each donor insemination cycle. No charge is made for cycles abandoned. These rates have been in place since 1 September 1994.

Charges for infertility treatment are a matter for individual clinics and it is for them to decide if and how charges made by the authority should be passed on to its patients. However charges are not made to patients receiving treatment under the national health service.

The authority publishes its accounts annually and provides a summary in its annual report. The last annual report, published in July 1996, includes the authority's accounts for 1994–95. Copies of the report are available in the Library.