Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the feasibility of transposition of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard on Fertility into a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) outcome indicator as a means of encouraging adherence to NICE's recommendation that all CCGs should fund three full cycles of IVF for eligible couples.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for making recommendations to NHS England on potential indicators for inclusion in the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCG OIS) based on its published quality standards. NICE’s processes for developing potential indicators, based on its quality standards, include consideration by an independent advisory committee and public consultation. Assessment of the feasibility of turning this quality standard into an indicator would therefore rest with NICE. Indicators recommended by the NICE advisory committee are then considered by NHS England for inclusion in the CCG OIS.

The Department and NHS England expects all those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the NICE fertility guidelines.