Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of allowing flexibility on blood donation rules to permit more frequent donations when there is a clinical need.

Departmental officials liaise regularly with NHS Blood and Transplant and with the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs on a range of topics, including emergency procedures to facilitate increasing blood stocks when necessary.

The Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 include guidance on blood donation frequency with set donor intervals at 12 weeks for men and 16 weeks for women. Intervals are required as too frequent donations can result in serious side effects for donors. The Donor Selection Guidelines provide guidance for clinical exceptions where identified donors, such as individuals with genetic haemochromatosis, can donate blood up to every six weeks for their clinical benefit or need.