Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Clinical Advisory Group for Genomics, if he will set out (a) its terms of reference, (b) when it will first meet, (c) how patient voice will be incorporated into its work, (d) who it will report to and (e) when the (i) Commissioning Policy for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis review and (ii) other work of its predecessor, the Clinical Reference Group for Medical Genetics, will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

NHS England has paused the recruitment for the clinical genetics clinical reference group to ensure the right advisory groups are in place to provide clinical advice across the breadth and depth of the future NHS Genomic Medicine Service.

These new arrangements will need consider clinical genetics and genetic counselling, but also wider implications of genomics for the National Health Service. Any future arrangements will have appropriate representation, including patient and public voices.

NHS England is progressing the clinical commissioning policy for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). This work will include assessment of the treatment pathways for existing PGD services and consideration of the ethical issues. NHS England will continue to seek input from clinicians and patients throughout this work.