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Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent changes in waitinglists for those seeking sub-fertility treatment in the Province. [198653]Angela Smith: The interim fertility service in Northern Ireland started in December 2001, at the Regional Fertility Centre, RoyalGroup of Hospitals. Access to publicly funded fertility services is regulated by eligibility criteria and these criteria have beenin operation from this date. There are currently 201 patients waiting for treatment on the NHS waiting list. A patient referred tothis waiting list in November 2004, could expect to wait between 18 and 24 months for treatment. The publicly funded waiting listcontinues to accept people for treatment in line with the referral date from their GP. There have been no significant recent changesto the NHS waiting list for fertility treatment. |