§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many kidney organ donor cards have been issued by his Department during the past 12 months; and how many of the cards have been taken up by members of the public.
§ Mrs. CurrieMore than 6 million multi-organ donor cards were issued by the Department in 1986. The driver and vehicle licensing centre (DVLC) at Swansea distributed a further 3½ million by enclosing a card with each driving licence sent out.
It is impossible to estimate precisely how many of these cards have been signed and are now being carried by people willing to donate their organs. However, a survey carried out on behalf of the British Kidney Patient Association in January 1987 suggested that about 29 per cent, of the adult population possessed a donor card; this represents about 12½ million people in Great Britain.