§ Mr. RogersTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department has received from(a) general practitioners and (b) health authorities in respect of the disclosure of patient records relative to coal miners' compensation claims for (i) bronchitis and (ii) emphysema/chronic respiratory disease. [118499]
§ Mrs. LiddellSome GPs and hospitals have been uncertain about releasing miners' medical records because they were not clear about the legal basis on which records are being sought and their own obligations. The Department has been in close consultation with the Department of Health and the BMA to enlist the help of medical record holders to ensure prompt release of records. The Department has agreed with both these bodies a statement on the legal basis for disclosure and the operational arrangements for access and copying, including the payment of appropriate fees to the record holders. On this basis, the NHS Executive has issued guidance to NHS Trusts and Health Authorities, and the BMA has also issued guidance to GPs. Both have stressed the vital part that hospitals and GPs play in assisting the compensation process. I understand that the guidance is already helping to speed up the records collection exercise, and I very much welcome the co-operation which the medical profession is showing.