Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with private fertility clinics on their profit levels.

No such discussions have taken place with private fertility clinics.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the UK-wide regulator for fertility treatment but has no powers over the commissioning of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or the cost of fertility treatment. All fertility clinics are free to set their own costs.

The Competition and Markets Authority produced guidance for patients and clinics explaining more about the costs of fertility treatment. It states that costs should be clearly set out to a patient before starting treatment, in order to comply with consumer law. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fertility-clinics-compliance-with-consumer-law-findings-published