§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information his Department has about organ transplants undertaken in(a) private hospitals and (b) National Health Service pay beds; and what action he will take against hospitals and consultants who transplant organs which have been sold;
(2) if he will consider introducing legislation to outlaw the sale of organs for transplants;
(3) if he will initiate a compulsory register of all imports and exports of transplantable organs and tissue into and out of the United Kingdom and of all transplant operations.
§ Mr. FreemanWe do not at present collect information centrally on transplants carried out in private hospitals, or on the use of pay beds by transplant patients. On the subject of the register of organs, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow44W (Mr. Hayes) on 26 January at columns 711–12. When investigations by Bloomsbury and Barnet health authorities are completed shortly, we shall consider urgently what action to take, including the relevance of legislation.