§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will arrange for an inquiry to be conducted into the use of pituitary derived hormones and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in line with the one being conducted by the Federal Government of Australia; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleCreutzfeldt-Jakob Disease—CJD—is a rare but fatal disease. The Government acted promptly in 1985 when evidence of an association between the pituitary derived hormone programmes and CJD first became available. All treatment programmes were brought to an end. As many patients as possible have been traced. Expert counselling and information are available to them, and many patients have used these services. The treatment programme is currently the subject of litigation. We have no plans to set up an inquiry.