§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (I) if he will publish in the Official Report a list of those psychiatric hospitals in the regional 514W health authorities within East Anglia which operate a system of token cr modification behaviour; and what guidance he proposes to issue on the desirability of the treatment;
(2) if he will set up a working party to examine the token or modification behaviour techniques now used in a number of psychiatric hospitals.
§ Mr. MoyleThe information requested in the first of my hon. Friend's questions is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
It is for the clinicians involved to consider what lines of treatment they should offer to their patients, in the light of present knowledge of their advantages and disadvantages, the alternatives available and the condition of the individual patient. A working party was set up by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the British Psychological Society and the Royal College of Nursing to formulate ethical guidelines on programmes of behaviour modification and I understand it is now in the process of completing its report. I shall consider what guidance needs to be issued in the light of the report.
I do not consider that a departmental working party is called for.