§ Mr. John GarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now agree to release medical records to past submariners when these are asked for.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIt is not the policy of the Department to release medical records. Two exceptions to this are the release of copies of relevant clinical notes to a qualified medical practioner for the purposes of continued treatment, and the release of copies of relevant notes to a medically qualified adviser for use in legal proceedings. They are not released to the person to whom they refer. This accords with the policy of the NHS for the handling of civilian records. Radiation dose records are, however, kept for those submariners designated as radiation 523W workers, and are maintained separately from the medical records. These dose records are released to the individual concerned on request, and are forwarded to him as a matter of course when he leaves the service, in accordance with the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1985.