§ 16. Dr. Boysonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is satisfied that he is receiving the full taxation due on fees for private abortions done in Great Britain.
§ Dr. GilbertNo, Sir. if the hon. Member has any particular case in mind and will let me have details, I shall be glad to have it looked into.
§ Dr. BoysonIs the hon. Gentleman aware that a recently published book, "Babies for Burning", which had wide publicity in this country, has one constant theme—that doctors operating or doing abortions privately were always demanding payment in cash and that advice was 683 given by a named charity in London that payment had to be in cash? Does this not call for some form of investigation, to see whether that book's allegations are right?
§ Dr. GilbertI am sure that the hon. Gentleman appreciates that it is far easier to make allegations of that sort than it is to sustain them with evidence which could be supported in a criminal prosecution. I repeat that if he, or any other hon. Member, has evidence of abuses of that sort I shall be only too happy to look into them.