§ 48. Lord APSLEYasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, seeing that the maximum period of incubation of any disease, including rabies, in dogs is two months, he will consider the reduction of the present period of six months' quarantine in certain establishments approved by his Department of dogs taken from England but brought back by their owners, on the ground that many of the latter cannot, owing to financial circumstances afford to pay the necessary charges for this period?
Mr. GUINNESSMy Noble Friend is in error as to the maximum incubation period of rabies, as dogs from abroad have developed rabies from three to five and a half months after they have arrived at quarantine stations in this country. I do not consider that inability to pay the necessary quarantine charges would justify me in reducing the period of quarantine and, thereby, adding very considerably to the risk of the introduction of such a terrible disease into this country.
Captain A. EVANSWill the right hon. Gentleman tell the House when last a case of rabies took six months to develop? Is it not the fact that this period of six months was only introduced 572 during the War, or immediaitely after the War, when many dogs were being brought back from France?
Mr. GUINNESSOh, no; and anyhow the number of dogs being brought in does not affect the period of incubation. I have many cases; in the last one, which was in 1924, the incubation took five and a half months, while the dog was in quarantine.