§ MR. LUPTONI beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been called to the statement in the Blue-book on Vaccination Expenses (Cd. 2421, 1905), that in the four years ended Lady Day, 1903, there wore 1,168,058 re-vaccinations charged to the rates, and if he will state under what statute the rates can be charged with re-vaccination, except in the case of voluntary applications for re-vaccination; if he has any official information showing that the bulk of these re-vaccinations were of persons who did not voluntarily apply for re-vaccination, but were compelled to do so by their employers on pain of dismissal; and if the auditors of the Local Government Board have surcharged the guardians with any portion of the amount paid for these re-vaccinations.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. JOHN; BURNS, Battersea)I am aware of the number of revaccinations the cost, of which was charged to the rates in the period referred to. I have no information to show that the bulk of these re-vaccinations: were of persons who did not voluntarily apply for re-vaccination, nor do I know of any surcharges made on the ground that any of the applications were not voluntary. It is the duty of the Public Vaccinator to re-vaccinate any person applying to him for the purpose who is not less than ten years old and has not been primarily vaccinated within ten years, and, subject to the observance of certain conditions which do not affect the present matter, he is entitled under Section 8 of the Vaccination Act, 1867, as amended by later Acts, to be paid for these re-vaccinations out of the rates. Whether the applications made to him are voluntary or not seems to be immaterial.