HC Deb 06 December 1954 vol 535 c584
16. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

asked the Minister of Health what decision he has made on the various suggestions sent to him about correctly identifying newly-born babies in maternity hospitals.

Mr. Iain Macleod

I am not yet in a position to add to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Miss Ward) on 19th November.

Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that the off-hand reply I got from the Parliamentary Secretary in reply to a previous question has done nothing to remove the anxieties that are widely held and the strong feelings that have been aroused, and will he try to come to an early decision in the matter so that we do not have a repetition of the unfortunate mishaps that have taken place?

Mr. Macleod

My hon. Friend is as concerned as I am, of course, about this problem. The difficulty is that we have received a number of suggestions none of which, as far as I can see, is any improvement on the present methods, which are widely followed in other countries.

Mr. S. Silverman

Does the right hon. Gentleman not agree that on the whole there are more children who get the wrong parents than there are parents who get the wrong children?