§ *MR. PICTON (Leicester)I beg to ask the right hon. gentleman the President of the Local Government Board a question of which I have given him private notice, namely whether he is now able to state the names of the intended Royal Commissioners to inquire into the working of the Vaccination Acts, and also the terms of the reference.
§ *THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. RITCHIE,) Tower Hamlets, St. George'sI am not in a position to state to the House the names of the proposed Commissioners. I have been in correspondence with gentlemen on the subject, and it will be a few days before I am able to inform the House of the names. But the pro- 673 posed reference is to the following effect:—The Royal Commission is to inquire and report as to (1) the effect of vaccination in reducing the prevalence of, and mortality from, smallpox; (2) what means, other than vaccination, can be used for diminishing the prevalence of smallpox, and how far such means could be relied on in place of vaccination; (3) the objections made to vaccination on the ground of injurious effects alleged to result therefrom, and the nature and extent of any injurious effects which do, in fact, so result; (4) whether any, and, if so, what means should be adopted for preventing or lessening the ill effects, if any, resulting from vaccination, and whether, and, if so, by what means vaccination with animal vaccine should be further facilitated as a part of public vaccination; (5) whether any alterations should be made in the arrangements and proceedings for securing the performance of vaccination, and in particular in the provisions of the Vaccination Acts with respect to repeated prosecutions for noncompliance with the law.
§ MR. PICTONMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether there is any authority whatever to be attached to the announcements which have been made in various journals of the names of certain gentlemen who are intended, it is said, to be placed on the Commission, or can he account for the appearance of the names to which I refer?
§ *MR. RITCHIENo, Sir; they are absolutely unauthorized and absolutely inaccurate.