§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on(a) where responsibility for implementing National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines lies and (b) recent performance in implementation. [138986]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonNational Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines are prepared for the guidance of national health service clinical staff and their employing bodies, who are responsible for their implementation. NICE has published seven major clinical guidelines, beginning in December 2002. At this early stage we have made no formal assessment of progress towards implementation.