§ MR. HOPWOOD (Lancashire, S.E., Middleton)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether there have been cases of alleged injury by vaccination at Oldbury, in the West Bromwich Union; whether Dr. Acland, one of the Royal Commission's Medical Inspectors, has investigated them and reported thereon; whether the West Bromwich Board of Guardians, on the advice of the Local Government Board, has repeatedly made application to the Royal Commission for a copy of Dr. Acland's Report, and has been refused; 1715 and whether he will use his influence to procure that a copy be supplied to the said Board of Guardians, to enable it to discharge its duty in superintending the due and safe vaccination of the inhabitants?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Sir W. FOSTER, Derby, Ilkeston)I am informed by the Royal Commission on Vaccination that cases have occurred at Oldbury in which injury was alleged to have resulted from vaccination. These cases have been the subject of an inquiry by Dr. Acland on behalf of the Royal Commission. The inquiry was not, however, instituted at the request of the Guardians of the West Bromwich Union, or in consequence of any information furnished by them. When the Guardians in August of last year asked the Local Government Board to inform them of the result of Dr. Acland's investigations, the Board informed them that the inquiry was not instituted by the Board, and that any application which they might wish to make on the subject should be addressed to the Royal Commission. I understand that it has been the invariable practice of the Royal Commission to decline to furnish copies of Reports in similar cases; and the Board do not consider that they can properly interfere in the matter.