§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provision is made for special diets for Moslem patients in National Health Service hospitals; whether such patients have a right to a special diet; if he will list the hospitals in the north-west providing such diets and those which do not; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIt is good practice to provide diets which accord with patients' religious requirements. Our advice to hospitals is contained in a DHSS publication "Catering for Minority Groups" distributed to authorities in 1981. We have also jointly with the Kings fund sponsored the production by Miss Alix Henley of a training pack on Asian diets and a book on the religious aspects of the health care of Moslems. I am glad to say that the take up of both of these has been good. Information about the practice of individual hospitals is not collected centrally.