§ Rev. Martin Smythasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will order his officials to investigate alleged breaches of the code of conduct advised in the Peel report 1972 on the use of foetal material; if he will press charges against those in breach of such guidelines under the Human Tissue Act; and if he will make a statement;
(2) whether he will place in the Library all documents and correspondence relating to the investigation in 1983 by officials of his Department into an alleged trade in dead human foetal material;
(3) whether his Department has received any further information regarding a trade in human pituitary glands or foetal material as a result of the trial and coviction of Dr. Mark Patterson for conspiracy to sell blood in July 1984.;
(4) whether he is still satisfied that there is no evidence available to his Department to substantiate allegations of a trade in human foetal material;
(5) what action he has taken after receipt of correspondence from Celaton Laboratory Research dated 6 December 1984 and Jacobson Chemicals Ltd. dated 21 January 1985 to Mr. R. Aitken, offering to supply foetal material for cosmetics, sent by the hon. Member for Belfast, South.
§ Mr. HayhoeI shall let the hon. Member have replies as soon as possible.
§ Rev. Martin Smythasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will seek to give statutory effect to the code of practice recommended in the Peel report 1972 on the use of foetuses and foetal material.
§ Mr. HayhoeWe have no plans to do so.