§ 7. Dr. D. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if he will consult the Pakistan Government with a view to their ensuring the validity of vaccination certificates of their nationals who are emigrating to Great Britain.
§ Mr. BraineWithout accepting in any way the implications in the Question, I can assure my hon. Friend that we have been and are in close touch with the Pakistan authorities on the measures which we and they are taking to halt the spread of infection.
§ Dr. JohnsonIs my hon. Friend aware that confidence has been shaken in the quality of the certificates produced by Pakistanis entering this country? With a view to restoring that confidence, can he perhaps give us rather more detail by publishing a report on the subject.
§ Mr. BraineI am not at all sure about this question of confidence. I understand that for well over a month the Pakistan Government have been taking extremely strict precautions. I would like to add 593 that, out of 7,600 Pakistanis who came here during December and January, we know of only five who developed smallpox—and all five had valid certificates of vaccination.