To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many district health authorities place restrictions, other than age-related ones, on the availability of fertility treatment; [37309](2) if he will list the district health authorities which have an age-related policy regarding the purchase of fertility treatment, together with details of the age at which each of these denies treatment, specifying what kind of fertility treatment is being limited. [37308]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to introducing guidelines to ensure consistency of provision of fertility treatment across district health authorities. [37310]

Advice on the services available under the national health service for the treatment of infertility is contained in the effective health care bulletin on "The Management of Subfertility", August 1992, published for the NHS management executive by a consortium of Leeds and York Universities and the research unit of the Royal College of Physicians, copies of which are available in the Library.Local health authorities are responsible for the provision of local health services, including the provision of infertility services. Decisions about the availability of these services must be left to individual health authorities as they are in the best position to determine priorities in the light of local needs and circumstances.