Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the potential increase in the number of people seeking IVF treatment abroad and the consequences of this for multiple birth rates.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it does not have any powers to regulate treatment which takes place outside the United Kingdom. It therefore holds no data on the number of patients who travel abroad for their treatment and is unable to assess the potential impact this may have on multiple birth rates. The HFEA provides information on its website advising patients of the risks of multiple pregnancies and suggesting that patients seeking treatment abroad should discuss these risks and how to minimise them with their overseas clinic.