§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his Department requires written information to be given to every woman before she consents to take part in the Medical Research Council's trial of the effect of certain nutrients upon the incidence of foetal nueral tube disorders.
§ Mr. William SheltonI have been asked to reply.
The protocols governing the clinical trials of the effect of folate and other vitamin supplementation in the prevention of neural tube defects are a matter for the Medical Research Council. I understand that it is the intention of the council to provide every woman considered for entry into the trials with written information on its purposes and conduct before she enters the study. An explanatory leaflet giving this information is now being prepared in conjunction with the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. That leaflet, together with the discussion or discussions which each woman will have with her doctor and with any adviser of her choice, will ensure as far as is possible that those women who do consent to take part in the trial will do so with a full understanding of the nature and consequences of what is proposed.