HC Deb 19 February 1987 vol 110 cc819-20W
Dr. Michael Clark

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what information he has received from the Lifeline Wales scheme about the expenditure involved in establishing its scheme for computerising organ donors;

(2) whether he will make a statement on the Lifeline Wales scheme which is partly funded by his Department for computerising organ donors and indicate whether he is considering extending it;

(3) whether he will consider a national computerised system for registering organ donors along the lines suggested by the Womens Gas Federation, a copy of which has been sent to him.

Mrs. Currie

Details of the Lifeline Wales scheme are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, and it is his Department which is funding the project.

A national computer register is a possible way of increasing organ donation but we are not certain at the present time that the additional benefits would justify the considerable expense of establishing and maintaining it. We have asked to be kept informed of the effect of the Welsh scheme on the supply of donor organs in Wales and we will also be taking into account the effect of the local computer registers in Manchester and Glasgow.