HL Deb 14 October 1975 vol 364 cc867-9WA
Lord HOUGHTON of SOWERBY

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will state the names of those serving on the Working Group on Oral Contraceptives, the terms of reference, the approximate date on which the Group is expected to report, and whether the Report will be published.

Lord WELLS-PESIELL

On the invitation of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Social Services and my right honourable and learned friend the Secretary of State for Wales, the Central Health Services Council, the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines have set up a Joint Working Group on oral contraceptives with membership drawn from each of the Standing Medical, Nursing and Pharmaceutical Advisory Committees, from lay members of the Council, the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

The members of the Working Group are:—

  • The Baroness Robson of Kiddington (Chairman),
  • K. J. P. Barraclough, Esq. (until 30.9.75),
  • Miss E. R. D. Bendall,
  • Professor Sir StanleyClayton,
  • W. M. Darling, Esq.,
  • G. T. M. David, Esq.,
  • Miss M. Davis,
  • Professor Sir Richard Doll,
  • Miss P. Greening,
  • Mrs. E. J. M. Leigh,
  • Dr. G. M. Morris,
  • Dr. G. Murray Jones,
  • Mrs. J. G. Page,
  • Professor J. S. Scott,
  • Professor Sir Eric Scowen,
  • Professor G. M. Wilson.

The terms of reference of the Group are:—

  1. (i) to consider the proposals contained in the letter entitled The Distribution and Supervision of Oral Contraceptives published in the British Medical Journal on 19th October 1974 as clarified in the letter dated 21st November 1974 from Dr. Smith, the Chief Medical Officer of the Family Planning Association to the Department;
  2. (ii) to consider other proposals for the distribution of oral contraceptives;
  3. (iii) to recommend to the Central Health Service Council, the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines, in the light of the available evidence what action, if any, should be taken.

No date has been settled for the Group to complete its work but it hopes to be able to do so by the summer of 1976. As its recommendations will be to the Central Health Services Council, the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines which will each consider them and convey their conclusions to my right honourable friends, it is too early to say how and in what form the work of the Group will be reported upon.