§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what mechanism is in place for updating the National Donor Register to include those people who have changed their name to ensure that they remain on the register; [88712]
(2) how many kidneys have been donated, in the last year, as a direct result of the National Donor Register being contacted; [88710]
(3) how many times in the last year the National Donor Register has been contacted by the donor co-ordinators in order to find out if the potential donor is registered; [88709]
(4) if all the donors listed on the National Donor Register are still alive; and what mechanism is used to delete from the National Donor Register those potential donors who have died without donating; [88711]
(5) how many hon. Members are listed on the National Donor Register. [88714]
§ Mr. HuttonIt is not possible to say how many kidneys have been donated as a direct result of the National Health Service Organ Donor Register being contacted. During 1998, the last full calendar year for which figures are available, 78 kidneys were retrieved from donors whose names were included on the register.
The NHS Organ Donor Register is confidential and it is therefore not possible to say how many hon. Members are registered.
The NHS Organ Donor Register is reliant on registrants providing information when they change name or address. The mechanisms for doing so are the same as those for registering in the first place. These are accessible through vehicle driving licence applications and changes, through the UK Passport Agency on the issue of a new passport, when registering with a general practitioner or by using the leaflets available in libraries, GP surgeries and other public places.
Every effort is made to ensure that the NHS Organ Donor Register is accurate. In order to improve accuracy, links are being established with the Office for National Statistics to cross reference information about deaths. The NHS Organ Donor Register is held alongside the National Transplant Database. The Database cross references with the Register with the aim of ensuring that any donor whose name is recorded on the Register is removed on donation.
It is not possible to say how many times local transplant co-ordinators contact the United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority in order to access the Register 50W as this information is not available centrally. There are currently 7.5 million names on the Register with 58,000 applications to be processed. In the vast majority of cases, families of potential donors are content that the donation should go ahead knowing that their relative wished to be an organ donor or had registered with the NHS Organ Donor Register.