Written questions, answers and statements

Babies: Hereditary Diseases

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Question for Department of Health

UIN 215841, tabled on 25 November 2014

Question

Dan Jarvis
Labour
Barnsley Central
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many babies were born with VLCAD deficiency in the UK in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of those babies died within the first seven days.

Answer

Dr Daniel Poulter
Conservative
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
Commons

Answered on

28 November 2014

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation.

The UK NSC is currently reviewing newborn screening for very long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) against its internationally recognised criteria. A public consultation on the screening review opened on 21 November 2014 and will close on 23 February 2015. A copy of the consultation is available at

http://www.screening.nhs.uk/fattyacidoxidation.

Data on the number of babies born with VLCADD deficiency in the UK and data on the number of babies who died within the first seven days from the disorder is not held centrally.

Answered by

Department of Health and Social Care
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Named day questions only occur in the House of Commons. The MP tabling the question specifies the date on which they should receive an answer. MPs may not table more than five named day questions on a single day.