Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to fund a review to explore the extent to which surgical intervention can alleviate the symptoms experienced by individuals with pineal cysts.

The Department has no plans to fund such a review. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice. NICE's interventional procedures programme assesses the efficacy and safety of interventional procedures used for treatment or diagnosis to determine whether they work well enough and are safe enough for use in the National Health Service.

NICE’s interventional procedures programme has not been notified of any procedure for the treatment of pineal cysts. If NICE receives a notification, any such procedure would be considered as part of established appraisal processes.