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 evidence to support newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy.

In 2018, the United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) looked at the evidence for screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in newborns and recommended that a population screening programme should not be introduced. The new treatment of nusinersen is still in the early stages and long-term effects to improve symptoms in children with SMA are unknown. The UK NSC is due to review its recommendation in 2021/22 and is actively engaged in discussions with stakeholders.