§ Mr. James HillTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider a system of fingerprinting or footprinting new born babies to prevent wrong identification of infants.
§ Mr. SackvilleAdvice from the maternity services advisory committee to the national health service is that parents should be able to see the correct details written on their baby's identity bracelets and to confirm that these bracelets are put on their baby. It is essential that all maternity units have in place procedures that ensure that these requirements are met and that bracelets are securely attached to babies in their care. Fingerprinting and footprinting are possible alternatives or additional methods but, before introducing such arrangements, they would need to be thoroughly assessed.