Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of IVF treatment for LGBTQ+ people on the financial wellbeing of people from that community seeking that treatment.

No specific assessment has been made. We expect local National Health Service commissioning bodies to commission fertility services in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines, to ensure equitable access in England. NICE guidelines were updated in 2013 to include provision for female same-sex couples. However, the Department has agreed with NICE that the fertility guidelines should be reviewed and scoping for the review has started.

The Department also undertook an internal policy review of the variation in access to NHS fertility services in 2021. The review will inform the Women’s Health Strategy, which is due to be published in spring 2022.