§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what developments have taken place towards the setting up of a national register for bone marrow donors; what prospects there are of the establishment of such a register in the future; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Moyle:I have given careful consideration to the setting up of a national panel of bone marrow donors but, after consultation with the country's leading experts, I have concluded that, as bone marrow transplantation in unrelated donors is still experimental and the number of succesful transplants throughout the world is still in single figures, the 750W diversion of NHS resources to this work is not yet justified. This decision will be kept under review in the light of developments in this field.