Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing will be available at no cost as part of the screening pathway for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’s syndrome and Patau’s syndrome throughout NHS England by March 2021.

There will be no cost to individuals to screen for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome in the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) when it is carried out under the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme. NIPT will be introduced as an ‘evaluative roll out’ by March 2021. The proposed timeline is dependent on the ongoing COVID-19 response and the ability of the National Health Service to respond to the anticipated tender process.