Written question asked by David Hinchliffe (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 29 October 1996. It was answered by Lord Horam (Conservative) on Tuesday, 29 October 1996 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: If he will comment on the implications for his policy on BSE/CJD of the latest medical findings of Professor John Collinge.

Answer: Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implications for his policy on bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of the latest medical findings of Professor John Collinge. [841] Mr. Horam: There are no implications for our policy on bovine spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Professor Collinge's latest findings. Professor Collinge has provided the first experimental evidence to support the view that there may be a link between bovine spongiform encephalopathy and new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease--invCJD. All the measures we have taken since 1989 to protect public health have been taken on the assumption that exposure to BSE could cause disease in humans and these latest findings do not change that.

Secondary information