§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether it is possible to introduce chlamydia screening for all women aged 16 to 24 years immediately; and what the possible barriers to providing such screening are; [164862]
(2) if he will estimate the cost of providing chlamydia screening for (a) all women aged 16 to 24 years, (b) all women over 16 years, (c) men aged 16 to 24 years and (d) all men; [164864]
(3) if he will estimate the cost in 2003–04 of treating complications in chlamydia, including the cost of treating infertility; and if he will make a statement. [164871]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 March 2004,Official Report, column 1066W, which set out the reasons why the nationally chlamydia screening programme is being phased in rather than implemented immediately.
Estimates of the cost of providing chlamydia screening for the groups stated are not available.
An estimate of the cost in 2003–04 of treating complications in chlamydia, including the cost of treating infertility is not available.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2004,Official Report, columns 1065–66W, on chlamydia screening, what the cost of implementing the programme in each of the primary care trusts has been so far; and what estimate he has made of the cost oft he third phase of the programme. [165676]
1612W
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe chlamydia screening programme incorporates 26 programmes, covering consortiums of 84 primary care trusts (PCTs). The cost of implementing each programme varies, dependant upon the size and the number of tests the programmes plans to undertake. The cost of implementing the programme in each PCT is not available, but the total estimated costs of the first three years of the chlamydia screening programme, from 2000 to 2003, are £13.5 million. The estimated costs for the third phase of the programme are £5.5 million over three years.