§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, following recent evidence concerning exports by the National Blood Authority of blood products to Turkey for profitable resale, they will instruct the authority to offer surplus blood and products first to countries that need them but cannot afford to pay for them.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)The National Blood Service does not collect surplus blood, but collecting sufficient blood to meet domestic demand may result in a surplus of plasma-based products. Surpluses fluctuate and, as it is not possible to guarantee a consistent supply so that treatment regimes can be maintained, giving away products from time to time is unlikely to be helpful to recipient countries in the long term. Selling any surplus on a cost-recovery basis keeps down costs to the National Health Service.