In cases of religious faith, for example, the liberty taken by medical professionals is inordinate. In these particular cases, in which parents are already suffering great grief at the loss of their children, even the theft of their parental consent is a cruel, unfeeling act.But the fact is that until the turn of this century such things were routinely done in hospital. They do not see the idea that their child’s organs may have helped another, directly or indirectly, to be comforting or helpful. Instead, they see the removal of parts of their children’s bodies to be nothing but an insult and a desecration.They have every right to have that reaction. Some people want this to be done for their own bodies or those of their children. But not enough people, sadly, carry a donor card to ensure a plentiful supply of organs.For some people, the need for donor organs is so great that they want the donor card scheme to be turned on its head.

They suggest that people should carry a card only when they do not want their dead body to provide organs that may save the lives of others.To me, such a move would be sensible, a pragmatic solution to a difficult problem that would suit the collective purpose of the National Health Service, and confirm a utopian idea of a caring society as well.Others though, quite clearly do not see things that way. They took organs for medical research that in the future could save lives. Seven years into government, seven years.The gulf between legislators, professionals and the public widens remorselessly. Mr Blunkett passes laws that are ignored or subverted by judges, police and probation officers. Why does the criminal justice apparatus hold the ministerial team in such contempt? Is it in their contract? Or do they just watch the cacatopia that is Home Office questions every month?Caroline Flint told us about the enormous challenge posed by hard drugs throughout the country. She said that the treatment for problematic drug users does actually work. She stopped for a moment while someone pulled the string hanging out of her back and then she told us drug addicts needed treatment that was quick and effective.

Ms Flint has a ministerial office, you know, and a team of civil servants behind her, and a car and a driver.That fellow Poor Gobbing – it’s a very odd name, almost emblematic – told us that 50,000 basic skills qualifications were to be gained this year by prisoners He knows the results before the exams are sat. The medical profession, and particularly Dr Dick van Velzen, the consultant who was responsible for so much butchery at Alder Hey, were certainly wrong to be so sneaky and underhand in their dealings with bereaved people.But they did not act out of a desire for financial gain, or out of madness or badness, or for criminal or nasty reasons. So much money is being squandered on unnecessary litigation that the NHS should start looking more carefully at why it is that people feel driven to suing it.But in the case of this unending body parts scandal, the idea that financial compensation is what is needed, rather than full and frank discussion of the real issues, is deeply and damaging.First, some perspective. It can only be addressed in the way it has been.Sometimes – often – people end up suing the NHS because they cannot get the acknowledgement that they need, and the apology that they need, for what has been done to them. There was never any need for litigation against the NHS in regard to this issue. Yes, it was appalling that the relatives of the dead were handled so dishonestly and so patronisingly by the medical profession.

Yes, the reports of parents exhuming and reburying their children several times, as they recovered more organs, were deeply distressing. Yes, it was awful that the hospitals were so reluctant to co-operate with the families of children whose body parts were taken But none of this can be addressed by handing over money. But in this case the bad practice has already been admitted to, and changes have been made. Maybe the £13m of NHS money that it cost could have been spent on other things, like health care.