Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to conduct a full Equality Impact Assessment as part of the decision making process on prostate cancer screening recommendations.

Yes, a full equality impact assessment will be undertaken as part of the decision-making process on prostate cancer screening recommendations.

On 28 November, the UK National Screening Committee opened a 12-week public consultation on a draft recommendation on screening for prostate cancer. This consultation has now closed, and the committee is considering the responses.

We anticipate a final recommendation soon. Following this, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will make a decision on whether to accept the recommendation, and what next steps are needed. Any policy developed from the recommendation will be supported by an equality impact assessment to ensure that health inequality that could be caused by the policy will be mitigated against.