To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of issuing guidance on the administration of (a) treatment and (b) laser treatment for extreme vascular malformations in children. (270001)

This Department has no plans to issue guidance on the administration of treatment, or laser treatment, for extreme vascular malformations in children.

However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published interventional procedure guidance on the use of intralesional photocoagulation of subcutaneous congenital vascular disorders in September 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to be identified as at risk by the Vascular Risk Assessment programme; and what plans he has to provide (a) advice and (b) treatment for such people. (270044)

The NHS Health Check programme is a universal and systematic programme for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 that will assess people's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes. Everyone having an NHS health check will receive individually tailored lifestyle advice to help them manage and reduce that risk, and help them live well for longer.

The ‘Putting prevention first: Vascular checks risk assessment and management—impact assessment’, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, gives details of the likely scale of the different interventions required for the risk management element of the programme. See the impact assessment for a detailed breakdown of the benefits likely from the vascular programme, the likely impact on primary care and a costs and benefits analysis.