Skip to main content

Alpha-Fetoprotein

Volume 942: debated on Tuesday 17 January 1978

The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is yet in a position to say which regional health authorities have been engaged in the serum alpha-fetoprotein pilot programmes how much has been spent to date; and which authorities are allocating expenditure to maintain the availability of screening.

The United Kingdom centres which participated in the collaborative study, which I assume the hon. Member has in mind when referring to the pilot programmes, were in Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London—four centres—Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford and Windsor. I understand that most of these are still offering some form of screening service, as are centres in a number of other places, but so far no regional health authority as such has set up a screening programme. I regret that details of the location of centres offering screening, and the costs involved, are not at present available centrally. Consultations on the possibility of developing a national screening service are continuing.