Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department has commissioned on the cost of genetic screening at birth for cardiac abnormalities.

The Department has not commissioned research on the cost of genetic screening at birth for cardiac abnormalities.

Both the Foetal Anomaly and the Newborn and Infant Physical Examination screening programmes offer heart screening to detect abnormalities early however not all abnormalities can be identified especially babies born with heart defects, as this can be more difficult to detect.

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including young sudden cardiac death.