§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of diabetics who died from kidney failure during each of the most recent five years for which he has figures; and if he will make a statement about the availability of kidney transplants for diabetics within the National Health Service.
§ Mrs. CurrieReliable information is not available on the number of diabetics who die from kidney failure.
The renal transplant programme as a whole is currently constrained by a shortage of donor kidneys. A working party under the chairmanship of Sir Raymond Hoffenberg, President of the Royal College of Physicians, is currently examining ways of increasing the availability of organs, and we expect to receive its advice during the summer. The suitability of a patient for transplantation is a matter for the clinician concerned.