§ Mr. DOUGLAS HALLasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will explain why in the official returns of zymotic diseases sent to Captain Christian, the head of the Royal Naval College at Osborne, the returns with regard to West Cowes are omitted; whether he is aware that in the official returns of East Cowes sent to Captain Christian measles, chicken-pox, whooping-cough, and German measles are not mentioned; has Captain Christian called the attention of the Admiralty to these omissions; and whether, in the interests of the general health of the college, he will take steps, to ensure that outbreaks of all such diseases in the neighbourhood of the college shall in future be reported to the head of the college?
§ The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Mr. McKenna)I understand that it rests with the local authorities to decide whether their own statistics of notifiable diseases shall be included in the weekly returns issued by the Local Government Board. The answer to the second and third parts of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the last part of the question, it would not be possible for the Board of Admiralty to ensure that local authorities do more than fulfil their statutory obligations in the matter; but the Fleet Surgeon of the College is instructed to make private arrangements with the local medical practitioners for the interchange of information regarding cases of infectious disease.