Schedule 1 - Scheduled purposes
Human Tissue Bill
5:00 pm
Dr Stephen Ladyman (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health; South Thanet, Labour)
Epidemiology is the study of the causes, distribution and control of disease in populations. The Government's view is that public health monitoring is a sufficiently wide definition to include use for epidemiological purposes. Therefore, the amendment tabled by the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire is unnecessary. We would include in that definition the study of material for things such as the spread of HIV, CJD, severe acute respiratory syndrome—SARS—and so on.
As far as the amendment tabled by the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon is concerned, the fact that the material is subsequently anonymised does not mean that it was anonymised
when it was collected from somebody in the first place. The golden thread—that people are entitled to be consulted about what the material that they are providing should be used for—again applies. People should be consulted about the fact that material might be used for the sorts of purposes that he outlined. Even if it is subsequently anonymised, it would not be appropriate to use it for a purpose beyond those set out in part 2 of schedule 1—those not requiring consent.