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Lord Patten stated that the DHSSNI followed the policies of the DHSS in London and had little influence over these policies.

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Lord Patten noted that the liaison with DHSS on health issues was done by officials rather than at ministerial level.

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Dr Robert McQuiston noted that the DHSS co-ordinated national policy on the vast majority of health matters, while the DHSS NI would have control over a small amount of matters such as the prevention of coronary heart disease.

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Lord John Patten noted that security and political aspects took up a significant amount of time.

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Lord Barry Jones in his statement to the Inquiry, CMO's responsibility to issue guidance and advice to clinicians, patients and the public.

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In 1990, the CMO wrote that Ministers accord great importance to the principle of clinical freedom.

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Peter Wormwald, the under secretary in the DHSS from late 1978 to late 1981, said that all civil servants must have continuously in mind the need to keep ministers sufficiently informed and to seek ministerial decisions where appropriate.

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Dr James McKenna was responsible for advising the public on matters of public health, advised ministers on health issues and provided the basis for health policy decisions, frequently in the position of providing health advice to the public at large.

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Duncan Macniven, who was Assistant Secretary in the SHHD between 1986 and 1990, explained that most decisions within the SHHD were taken by officials without always consulting the (limited number of) ministers.

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In his statement, Macniven noted that the criteria for referring matters to ministers were not fixed but relied on the judgement of the responsible officials in consultation with more senior officials

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According to the written statement of John Canavan, "HS1 (divided into HS1A and HS1B) was a division in the administrative hierarchy which had responsibility for, amongst other health services, the blood transfusion services, blood supply and blood safety."

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According to the written statement of Michael Forsyth, The role of the CMO is seen as follows: "Ministers and the public of risks to Public Health and advising on policy measures to minimise these risks. He was also responsible for giving guidance to clinicians, health boards and patients where he thought it appropriate."

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Lord Trefgarne assumed that a letter about AIDS which he signed, would have been drafted by officials based on well-established policy.

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A Medical Research Council ("MRC") Working Party, later reorganised as an official committee, reaffirmed a proposal of the Ministry of Health "that a number of clinics and laboratories throughout the country should be invited to act as Reference centres with the object of ensuring uniformity of diagnostic standards and co-ordinating exchange of information".

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Dr Rizza, in a report to the Haemophiia Litigation, suggested that during the first half of the 1970s "hepatitis was probably not perceived as a long term problem in haemophiliacs" but that more detailed follow-up of people with haemophilia during the late 1970s showed that "a significant number of haemophiliacs who were clinically well had persistently abnormal tests of liver function".

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Dr Rizza, in a report to the Haemophiia Litigation, stated that the UK Haemophilia Centre Directors' Organisation was aware of post transfusion hepatitis from the outset and therefore studied and monitored especially heat treated blood products from the early 1980s.

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The MRC's Haemophilia Committee proposed that a number of haemophilia centres should be designated as reference centres with the object of ensuring uniformity of diagnostic standards and co-ordinating the exchange of information

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A NHS Memorandum was released stating that the listed haemophilia centres that had been "designated by the Medical Research Council for the diagnosis of haemophilia and related diseases" was going to be "revised" and going forward centres would be "described as Haemophilia Diagnostic and Registration Centres".

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A discussion was held between members of the DHSS and Dr Rosemary Biggs (representing the Oxford Haemophilia Centre) in relation to the organisation of haemophilia centres. Dr Biggs recommended the establishment of a three-tier system.

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On 14 November 1983 Kenneth Clarke MP told Parliament that "there is no conclusive evidence that acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is transmitted by blood products" and that same statement asserted that professional advice had been made available to all haemophilia centres in relation to the possible risks of AIDS from Factor 8 concentrates. It was unclear what information or professional advice was provided to him in making this statement.

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