§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to introduce legislation to require doctors to seek permission to remove kidneys and other organs from patients each time a life support machine is switched off; what advice he has received from the United Kingdom transplant service on this matter; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Eccles (Mr. Carter-Jones) on 4 March at columns123–24. No representations on this matter have been received from the United Kingdom transplant service.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what figures he has for the current availability of kidney donations in relation to demand for transplant purposes.
§ Mr. WhitneyAccording to information supplied by the United Kingdom transplant service, the number of cadaver kidney transplant operations performed in the National Health Service in 1985 was 1,336 and the number of patients on the waiting list for kidney transplant on 1 January 1986 was 3,305. We are concerned to see the kidney transplant programme expanded, but this can only happen if the supply of donor organs increases. Ministers have taken a number of initiatives in the last two years to encourage more donations, for example I recently approached representatives of industry about this, and I am glad to say that they have agreed to co-operate with our efforts.