§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish in the Official Report the names oil the persons who will inquire into the allegations of sterilisation of three handicapped girls under 16 years of age in Sheffield, the terms of reference of the inquiry, and state whether its findings will be published.
§ Dr. OwenIn the first instance, a senior doctor of the Department is now making detailed inquiries into the allegations. This information, with the detailed information over the whole country which we are now collecting, will be studied first in the Department and by the Department's expert advisers with a view to issuing a discussion paper for wider consultation on a possible code of practice on this subject to which I referred in my hon. Friend's Adjournment debate on 25th June—[Vol. 894, c. 633–638.] A formal committee of inquiry is an option which has not been ruled out but would be instituted only if the results of the initial inquiries revealed a situation which would require such a procedure. At present no such evidence exists.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Serivces what consultations are currently in progress between her Department and the British Medical Association concerning the sterilisation of children under the age of 16 years.
§ Dr. OwenNone. As has been explained, the Department is preparing a discussion paper on the issue of guidance on this matter and this will be put to a wide range of professional and other interested organisations.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will ask 249W each regional health authority in England and Wales to make a report on the number of sterilisation operations known to them to have been carried out on children under 16 years of age during 1972, 1973 and 1974, respectively.
§ Dr. OwenAs I explained in my hon. Friend's Adjournment debate on 25th June—[Vol. 894, c. 633–6.]—authorities in England have already been asked for information on the number of sterilisations in the two age groups of under 16 and 16 to 18 for the years 1973 and 1974. Information for 1972 would be too incomplete to be of use.
So far we have received information on sterilisation on children under 16 from 12 regional health authorities. I will let my hon. Friend have the information when it is complete.
Matters concerning the health service in Wales are for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.