HC Deb 12 December 1983 vol 50 cc351-2W
Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will institute an urgent inquiry to establish the numbers of patients awaiting bone marrow transplants and the average waiting time.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

No. The working party on bone marrow transplantation under the chairmanship of Sir Douglas Black included in its report, published in October 1982, the potential national demand for the service. The Government's response to the report and to more recent development is set out in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafordshire, Moorlands (Mr. Knox) on 3 November.—[Vol. 47, c.456–57.]

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what discussions he has had with the regional health authorities on the question of providing adequate bone marrow transplant facilities in each region;

(2) what financial support is to be made available within each regional health authority to develop the facility of bone marrow transplants;

(3) what additional resources are being made available in the London hospitals immediately to build up bone marrow transplant facilities.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

We will shortly be concluding our discussions about the allocation of the additional resources we have made available to the London hospitals carrying out bone marrow transplantation to help them reduce the national waiting list. We will then consider the development of bone marrow transplant services elsewhere as indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, Moorlands (Mr. Knox) on 3 November.—[Vol. 47, c. 4.56–57.]