§ Mr. McLoughlinTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services on how many occasions in the last 12-month period for which figures are available, advice or guidance was given by his Department to medical ethical committees about the value or ethical acceptability of proposals put before them.
§ Mr. NewtonAdvice to ethical committees on the ethical acceptability of proposals put before them is a matter for the professions concerned and the appropriate professional bodies. The Department's guidance on the establishment of ethical committees (circular HSC(IS)153, a copy of which is in the Library), endorsed the recommendations on clinical research of the Royal College of Physicians.