§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards extending breast screening to all women aged 65 to 70 years by 2004. [151701]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe expansion of the national breast screening programme is progressing well. Implementing the expansion began in April 2001 and since then over 200,000 more women have been invited for breast screening.
At the end of December 2003 nearly 40 per cent. of breast screening sites were providing breast screening for women aged 65 to 70, with all sites expected to have implemented the extension by December 2004. Once the extension is fully implemented an extra 400,000 women a year will be invited for breast screening.