§ 82. Mr. PETOasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the guardians of the Hackney Union instructed their clerk to send a letter, dated the 21st May last, to the public vaccinators of that union with regard to the transmission of certificates of successful vaccination of children born in other districts; whether it is the duty of a vaccination officer for the district where a child is vaccinated to transmit a copy of the certificate to the vaccination officer for the district where the child was born; if so, what action does he propose to take with regard to the letter of the 21st May; whether, in consequence of the letter sent by the Local Government Board to the guardians of the Hackney Union on the 8th February last, the National Vaccination Officers' Association wrote to the Local Government Board on the 28th February; whether, on the 26th June, the Local Government Board informed that association that they cannot undertake to discuss with them the matter to which they referred; and, if so, what action the Local Government Board are taking, or intend to take, in the matter?
§ Mr. BURNSI have no knowledge of the letter addressed by the guardians to their public vaccinators on the 21st May. The Vaccination Acts make it the duty of a public vaccinator to send the certificate of any successful vaccination he has performed to the vaccination officer of the district in which the birth was registered, or, if such district is not known to him, to the vaccination officer within whose district the operation was performed. It is the duty of a vaccination officer, on receiving a certificate of successful vaccination of a child whose birth was registered in another district, to transmit a copy of the certificate to the vaccination officer of the district where the birth was registered. I gather that in the case to which the hon. Member refers the certificate was properly sent to the vaccination officer of the district where the birth was registered, but was sent by him to the vaccination officer 793 of the district where the vaccination was performed in order that copies might be transmitted to him by the latter officer. There is nothing in the Vaccination Acts and Orders to authorise such procedure. The facts as to the correspondence with the National Vaccination Officers' Assocciation are as stated, and I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on the 1st instant.