§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether its Home Defence college plans envisage that persons suffering from radiation sickness should not be treated but allowed to die and whether there is any provision for rendering dying easier than would be the case for totally untreated persons numbering thousands or millions.
§ Lord Cullen of AshbourneCurrent advice is that persons suffering from radiation sickness should, wherever possible, receive supportive care, but should not be given high priority for admission to hospital. This advice is based on the unfortunate fact that at 647WA present there is no specific cure for radiation sickness and on the assumption that in the event of nuclear attack many hospitals and staff would be put out of action and that, as a result, the number of casualties could far exceed the resources available to treat them. Priority would, therefore, need to be given to treating those casualties whose prospect of survival would be increased by admission to hospital. Where circumstances 648WA allowed, patients in other priority groups would also be admitted and the health professions would, in any case, do all in their power to care for all those in need.
House adjourned at twenty-three minutes before ten o'clock.