HC Deb 16 June 1899 vol 72 cc1349-50
MR, PALMER (Reading)

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the Reading Board of Guardians offered provisionally, under the Vaccination Act, 1898, a scale of remuneration to the public vaccinator, to extend over a period of six months, with the object of gathering from experience some idea of the actual amount of work involved under the new regulations, and with the avowed intention, as soon as this experience had been obtained, of revising such scale if found necessary, so as to afford adequate remuneration to the officer, such revised scale to have retrospective effect; and why the Local Government Board overruled the proposals of the Guardians, and fixed up a scale of remuneration in excess of that which the officer asked the Guardians for, and in the face of the assurance of the Guardians that they were desirous of awarding adequate remuneration to their officer as soon as they were in a reasonable position to gauge the amount of work involved and the probable value of the services rendered.

MR. CHAPLIN

The Guardians of the Reading Union offered a scale of remuneration to the public vaccinator as stated in the question. He declined, however, to accept the fee for successful vaccination which was offered, on the ground that it was insufficient. No agreement having been come to between the Guardians and the public vaccinator, it devolved on the Local Government Board to determine the fees to be paid to him. The Board defined to raise the fees which the Guardians had offered for successful vaccination and re-vaccination. But as regards the remaining fee, it appeared to them, having regard to the default in administering the Vaccination Acts in the Union in the past, that, unless a change took place in this respect, the Public, Vaccinator would not be adequately remunerated for the work which he is bound to perform if this fee was fixed at the minimum, and they consequently increased it from 1s. to 1s. 8d. If and when the local circumstances which governed the Board's decision as regards this fee have altered the Board will be quite prepared to reconsider the matter.