§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 28 January, Official Report, column 440, how many pints of blood were supplied in 1980 to private hospitals and clinics; and how this compares with each of the previous three years.
§ Dr. VaughanI regret that this information is not available centrally, but only a very small amount of the blood collected by the National Blood Transfusion Service is supplied to private hospitals and clinics.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what consideration is being given to the introduction of a charge to cover the Blood Transfusion Services' handling and processing costs of supplying blood to private hospitals and clinics.
§ Dr. VaughanI am considering the question of whether any charge should be made, and expect to reach a decision shortly.