To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement in respect of what directives his Department has issued for the diagnosis of child satanic ritual abuse.

Diagnosis is a matter for professional judgment and would not be appropriate for issue of a directive. The Department of Health is considering guidance on the handling of cases with an element of organised or possibly ritual abuse when reissuing "Working Together", a guide to inter-agency co-operation for the protection of children from abuse.