§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give the number of kidney transplants in 1985; if he has now completed his consideration of the provision of a national computer register; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyAccording to information supplied by the United Kingdom transplant service, the provisional number of kidney transplants performed in the United Kingdom in 1985 was 1,338. Although this is 8 per cent. lower than the record level in 1984, it still shows a 17 per cent. increase on the 1983 figure and we are confident that the overall trend is still rising. Further initiatives to publicise the organ donor card scheme are being prepared.
We have studied estimates of the costs of establishing a free-standing national computer register of potential organ donors, and we are not convinced that at the present time the benefits would justify the large expenditure required. We are, however, exploring other methods of using computer facilities to identify potential donors, but do not expect to be able to make an announcement in the immediate future.