§ 19. Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the decision not to fill the vacancy arising out of the resignation of the medical officer for maternity and child welfare, but to allocate the duties to an officer of lower rank, has created a misgiving that sufficient importance is not attached to this part of the department's activities; and whether, in view of the high figures of maternal mortality and the necessity for zeal and efficiency in dealing with this problem, he will reconsider the matter?
Sir H. YOUNGThe hon. Member is, I think, under a misapprehension with regard to this matter. The Local Government Act of 1929 imposed more largely on local authorities the determination of their local administration of maternity and child welfare work and, consequently, the detailed supervision of this work by my Department has been substantially changed in character and degree. I therefore decided that, on the retirement of the senior medical officer in charge of this work, its supervision could for the future best be entrusted not to two higher posts but to one. This post, as I have previously stated, is held by a most experienced woman medical officer, who is directly responsible to the chief medical officer of the Ministry. Attaching, as I do, the greatest possible importance to this branch of the work of the Ministry, I am fully satisfied that there is no ground for misgiving as to the present arrangements for its effective performance.
§ Miss RATHBONEWill the right hon. Gentleman supplement that reply by saying whether the amount of attention drawn to infant welfare and maternal mortality so long as there was an officer 1255 solely in charge has influenced the Department in diminishing the amount of supervision?
§ Miss RATHBONEI asked the Minister whether the perhaps too great activity of the officer when she had nothing else to do but to attend to these matters has made the Government feel that too much public attention was being drawn to maternal mortality, and whether they wish to hush it down?
Sir H. YOUNGI can only say that the suggestion is tinged with complete impropriety and I trust that in giving that answer to the hon. Lady I have succeeded in staying within the bounds of Parliamentary propriety.
§ Mr. DAVIESIn view of the very keen interest that is shown in this problem, cannot the right hon. Gentleman agree that there is room for misgiving? There has been a change in the status of this person?
Sir H. YOUNGNo, Sir, I am quite satisfied that that is not so, and I think the hon. Member's question shows the same misconception. There has been no change in the status at all. The status necessary to secure sufficient authority for the work is quite unchanged, and the same as it ever was.
21. Miss CAZALET (for Countess of IVEAGH)asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the list of areas exhibiting a persistently high rate of maternal mortality included by the chief medical officer of the Ministry in his report for 1933; and how many, and which, of the powers which can be exercised by local authorities under the Maternity and Child Welfare Act are exercised in each of these areas?
Sir H. YOUNGThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Noble Lady will see from the circular recently issued on the subject of maternal mortality that it is intended to make a detailed review of the maternity services in each of these areas with a view to determining what action is needed to render the services both effective and comprehensive, and for the purposes of the review I propose to instruct expert medical officers to visit the areas concerned.