Written question asked by Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Diana Johnson (Labour) on Monday, 7 September 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Blood: Screening
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of targeted blood lead screening for children in high-risk housing.
- Answer
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The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers on screening matters, made a recommendation not to screen children for lead poisoning in 2018. This is because the number of children affected in the United Kingdom is currently not known, the test was not reliable enough, and treatments in children with mild symptoms have not been proven and may also be harmful.
The UK NSC plans to look at the evidence again, however a timetable for review has not yet been confirmed. The UK Health Security Agency guidance on lead poisoning for healthcare professionals can be found at the following link:
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 24837
- Session
- 2026-27
- Grouped for answer
- Yes
- Subjects
- Children Blood Lead Screening
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-09-07 14:15:30 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/24837
- In Indexing
- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/24837
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/24837