§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the total costs to the public purse of the work undertaken by the Independent Review Group into silicone gel breast implants. [51674]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 22 July 1998]: The total cost to date of the work undertaken by the Independent Review Group into silicone gel breast implants is approximately £250,000.
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the countries in which silicone gel breast implants have been banned. [51677]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 22 July 1998]: To our knowledge, the only country that currently has a ban on the use of silicone gel breast implants is France.
§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget will be allocated for the monitoring and registration of women by the National Breast Implant Registry over the next five years. [51675]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 22 July 1998]: It is not currently possible to estimate the budget required by the National Breast Implant Registry over the next five years. This will be decided once the Department and the Registry have assessed the resources necessary to implement the recommendation of the Independent Review Group on silicone gel breast implants.