The NHS will pay for women who were fitted with banned PIP breast implants on the NHS who are anxious to have have them removed, the government has said.
In a review, it said it expected private clinics to offer women who had concerns the same deal.
But it still said women with PIP implants did not routinely need to have them removed
It is believed that around 40,000 women in the UK have been fitted with the implants.
Around 95% of women had the operation privately, 5% on the NHS.
The French authorities have offered to pay for all implants to be removed due to a high risk of them rupturing.
The UK review was ordered because of conflicting data about the risk of the implants rupturing and leaking non-medical grade silicone into the body.
The French authorities quoted a rate of 5%. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) initially said the rate was 1% - in line with other implants. There were reports of rupture rates of 7% from one cosmetic surgery group, Transform. However, it says that rate was based on just seven out of 108 patients it fitted with PIP implants since 2005.
The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, said: "The data available to the experts has not been good enough to enable them to give a clear recommendation of the risk posed by PIP implants.
We have always recommended that women who are concerned should speak to their surgeon or GP. The NHS will support removal of PIP implants if, after this consultation, the patient still has concerns and with her doctor she decides that it is right to do so.
"We believe that private healthcare providers have a moral duty to offer the same service to their patients that we will offer to NHS patients - free information, consultations, scans and removal if necessary.
Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director who led the review, said: "On the basis of the information we have, we do not think it is necessary to recommend the routine removal of these implants.
"But we understand that some women will be very concerned so we support the Government's position that the NHS will support removal of PIP implants if the patient has concerns and with her doctor she decides that it is right to do so."
source: bbc.co.uk
