§ Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce testing of all newborn babies for cystic fibrosis. [186977]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonMinisters have agreed to the implementation of a new national programme for newborn cystic fibrosis screening. About a fifth of babies born in England are currently offered screening for cystic fibrosis. At the request of the United Kingdom national screening committee, an implementation plan to support the national health service is being developed by the UK newborn screening programme centre, a collaboration between Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the Institute of Child Health and the Institute of Education.