§ Mr. DevlinTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will commission a study into the clinical reliability of the reflex anal dilatation test.
§ Mr. NewtonAs I indicated in my statement to the House last week, the Standing Medical Advisory Committee was asked to consider the whole issue of diagnosing sexual abuse of children, in parallel with the Cleveland inquiry. Its advice was published at the same time as the inquiry report, and states clearly that
no physical sign can at the present time be regarded as being uniquely diagnostic of child sexual abuse.