§ SIR W. J. COLLINS (St. Pancras, W.)To ask the President of the Local Government Board in how many cases Parliamentary powers have been given to local authorities in England and Wales enabling them to require the notification of tuberculosis by medical men under penalty; whether such powers have been given in respect of tuberculosis of the lung only, or in respect of any form of tuberculosis; whether such powers have been given in any cases for more than a limited period of time; in how many case have voluntary systems of notification of tuberculosis been adopted; and whether the results obtained under a voluntary system have compared favourably with those obtained under a compulsory system.
(Answered by Mr. John Burns.) Parliamentary powers have been given in two such cases, viz., Sheffield and Bolton. In both cases the powers have been given in respect of tuberculosis of the lung only, and for a limited period. I am aware of about 150 cases in which voluntary systems of notification of tuberculosis have been adopted or tried in England and Wales, and there may possibly be others. It cannot, I think, be expected that under ordinary circumstances a voluntary system of notification will secure as early or complete notification of cases as will a compulsory system, and the preponderant experience in England and Wales appears to confirm this expectation.