§ Mr. Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps she is taking to publicist the existence of the kidney donor card.
§ Dr. OwenArrangements for publicizing the kidney donor card are constantly under review and opportunities for publicity are taken whenever possible. Letters are being sent to hospital authorities and general practitioners at the end of this month reminding them of the need for donor kidneys, enclosing further supplies of the cards and asking them to display a poster prepared by the National Kidney Research Fund advertising the scheme.
§ Mr. Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will make kidney donor cards available to the public at places other than hospitals and doctors' surgeries.
§ Dr. OwenThe cards have already been made available through banks, local authorities, Government Departments and certain other large employers to their staffs and through some banks and local authorities to members of the public. They have also been supplied to universities for their students and staff.
§ Mr. Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she is proposing to issue a new kidney donor card; and if she will make a statement.
§ Dr. OwenA revised version will be issued as soon as suitable material on which to print it can be obtained. There is at present a shortage of card and of paper generally.
§ Mr. Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she will take steps to ensure that the wording of the new kidney donor card will amount to a request by the holder that his kidneys may be used after his death so as to avoid 251W the need for the relatives of the holder to be consulted.
§ Dr. OwenBoth the present and the revised version of the card include a request that the bearer's kidneys be used after his death. The clinicians' decision to consult relatives is not, however, a matter to be determined solely by the legal status of the card.