§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to health authorities on the screening programmes for detecting hearing impairments among babies; and what information his Department collates by(a) health authorities and (b) hospitals in respect of such programmes. [11125]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Department of Health does not currently give guidance to health authorities on neonatal screening for hearing impairment, nor does it collect information centrally. We are aware that there is scope for considerable improvement in neonatal screening procedures for hearing impairment and will be examining the latest research evidence on this subject.