To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response he made to the Health Protection Agency laboratory reports of hepatitis C infection in the third quarter of 2007; and if he will make a statement. (186826)

[holding answer 18 February 2008]: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) published data on reported laboratory diagnoses of hepatitis C for July to September 2007 (third quarter) in Health Protection Report (volume 2 number 4) on 25 January 2008. The data, which are provisional, showed an apparent drop in the number of laboratory diagnoses reported in that quarter compared to the previous two quarters of 2007.

The Department understands from the HPA that a large number of diagnoses were incorrectly allocated to the under one-year age group category and were therefore omitted from the published data. Laboratory reports in cases aged under one year are excluded from the published data because they may indicate the presence of passively acquired maternal antibodies.

Revisions are currently being made to the third quarter figures. Revised data will be published in the Health Protection Report when the fourth quarter’s data are available later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the Written Declaration of the European Parliament on hepatitis C; and if he will make a statement. (186827)

[holding answer 18 February 2008]: We have not received any representations about the European Parliament’s written declaration on hepatitis C.