§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether public vaccinators, as such, are entitled to superannuation on pension terms, under the present law; and, if not, whether they will be entitled to it if the Vaccination Bill becomes law; what is the number of public vaccinators in England and Wales; and, in the event of them becoming entitled to a superannuation allowance under the Vaccination Bill, would their previous service be taken into consideration in fixing the amount; how is it intended that the public vaccinators shall be remunerated, whether by fee per visit, or by salary, or by each vaccination and will such remuneration be payable by the local authorities; and, if so, what powers will they have to fix and alter the remuneration; whether the obligation to satisfy two magistrates as conscientious objection to vaccination, as set forth in the Bill, means that this obligation must be undertaken by the father, or that it may be fulfilled either by father or mother; and whether, if by the father alone, a child, whose father is absent from his home during the period allowed for this formality, could be contracted out of the obligation to be vaccinated by the mother appearing before two magistrates and stating her conscientious objection?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. CHAPLIN,) Lincolnshire, SleafordThe reply to the first paragraph is in the negative. The number of public vaccinators in England and Wales is about 3,000. With respect to the third paragraph, no matured decision has been at present arrived at, nor is it necessary, for the Act is not drawn to come into operation until 1st January nest. What is contemplated, however, is some arrangement like this: Remuneration by two methods—first, by a payment based on the number of births to cover the general duties; and, secondly, by a payment in each case of successful vaccination; the amount of these payments to be a matter for arrangement in the first instance between the public vaccinator 1137 and the guardians by whom the payments will be made, subject, as in the case of all the principal officers of boards of guardians, to the approval of the Local Government Board. In answer to the last two paragraphs, the obligation should be undertaken by the person in custody of the child, whether father or mother. If the father is prevented by absence or other unavoidable cause, then the duty would naturally fall on the mother.