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Evidence Check: Homeopathy (Government Response)

We are today laying before Parliament the Government's response (Cm 7883) to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report ““Evidence Check: Homeopathy””, which was published on 22 February 2010. Complementary and alternative medicine, including homeopathy, have a long tradition, and very vocal proponents and opponents. The Committee's report sets out evidence and opinion on each side, with a strong focus on efficacy as being one of the main criteria by which it would expect national health service decisions to be made. The Government welcome this report. We remain of the view that the local national health service and clinicians are best placed to make decisions on what treatment is appropriate for their patients. We expect local clinicians to make decisions on what is best for their patients taking account of safety, evidence of clinical and cost-effectiveness (where it exists) and the availability of suitably regulated/qualified practitioners. We remain committed to providing good quality information available about complementary and alternative treatments so that clinicians and consumers can make informed decisions if they are considering such treatments. Today's publication is in the Library and copies are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office.