§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information and guidance is available to men seeking vasectomies; what information is given on the failure rate of such operations; and what are the figures for the failure rate of this procedure.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe handbook of contraceptive practice issued by the Department to all general practitioners and doctors and nurses working in family planning clinics gives advice on counselling for vasectomy, including the need to inform the patient about the possibility of failure. The overall failure rate is less than 0.5 per cent. Copies of the handbook are available in the Library.