§ 4.59 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATE rose to ask Her Majesty's Government when they will be prepared to make a comprehensive statement on the epidemic of Asian influenza and measures taken against it. The noble Viscount said; My Lords, my Question is a simple one: to ask Her Majesty's Government to make a comprehensive statement on the epidemic of Asian influenza and measures taken against it. It will be observed that this is a matter which does not touch the controversies that divide the two sides of the House except for one interesting point that for the first time we have heard from the Government Front Bench that "China" meant Formosa, which will certainly be a surprise, considering that the Government of China at 808 Pekin has been recognised by Her Majesty's Government for many years. Apart from that, there is no point of political controversy at all.
§ What I am asking is, what are Her Majesty's Government going to do? I hope I am not going to get the simple answer that they are taking precautions at the docks. No doubt that is part of the scheme of defence. But this is something much wider. Mr. Ritchie Calder's article in the New Statesman was very informative. He said that any aircraft can now carry this infection and that it has turned up in the most surprising parts of the world. It has actually got to America, Australia and South Africa. Therefore I hope that we may have a comprehensive statement from the noble Earl.
§ The first question I ask is; what is the gravity of this outbreak? Having read the World Health Organisation bulletins which are issued on this matter, and The Times and other sources of information, I find that no one will say with certainty how fatal this disease is. That it is very widespread and very catching—there have been half-a-million cases in Hong Kong alone—is clear. Many noble Lords will remember the epidemic which followed the First World War, and which actually had a death roll of 15 million people in the world. This matter, therefore, certainly deserves very careful attention by the Government. The only thing in this connection that I have seen is a statement that we are preparing some form of prophylactic or antibiotic, or whatever it may be, and distributing it throughout the world.
§ We have, of course, an Influenza Research Branch of our own; it is at Mill Hill and Dr. Andrews is in charge. I believe there are others in other parts of the world but ours stands high. I am emphasising that this is not what we used to call a local government board job. That is why we have a world organisation to deal with it. I understand that forty-six public laboratories are to be supplied with this specially distilled—if that is the word—prophylactic remedy. Of course, the natural machine for all this work is the World Health Organisation. Of all the international organisations that have come into being since the Second World War, the World Health Organisation has perhaps been the most directly productive of happiness for mankind.
809§ Now to come to the controversial point of my question. I asked, what we were doing about China. I must say that I was astounded at the reply—given, I think, by the noble Earl, Lord Gosford—to the effect that if they care to send any information about their influenza we shall be very glad to receive it. What an extraordinary statement to make! I asked him specifically in my question: "Is it a fact that this thing has been raging (raging is one of the words that has been used) in China?" He said: "I do not know, but if any information is sent to us it will be very carefully considered."
§ The Times on June 13 published a statement from Sir Macfarlane Burnet who is, I believe, a great expert. He has now gone to Geneva to the conference which is being held there. There have also been statements made in the New Statesman by two other eminent scientists. We know that the disease reached Hong Kong from somewhere, and we are told that in the defence of world health the best we can do is to receive gratefully anything that comes in the post with the China postmark upon it. That really is not treating the subject as seriously as it deserves. Obviously, China should be, either temporarily or permanently, a member of the World Health Organisation. There are political difficulties but I am not raising that matter now. I am not asking the House to take any side on the question as to whether America or ourselves are right about recognition of Pekin. What I am saying is: Here is a machine; can you use it?
§ One of my Parliamentary Questions was: "Can a country be a member of the World Health Organisation without being a member of U.N.O.?" The answer given was, "Yes." Four or five countries were named by the noble Earl, Lord Gosford, who said that they are in the World Health Organisation but that, for political reasons, we could not have them in U.N.O. at the present time. If that is the case with regard to such countries as Viet Nam or Korea or somewhere else, why cannot it be the case with China? This is a serious question about the health of mankind. I hope that in the statement which is to be made on behalf of the Government there may be some encouraging word, some suggestion of improvisation of a way by which this scientific international machinery can be used 810 for the protection of the health of mankind.
§ I put this specific question to the noble Earl, Lord Home: "Will you put China" (by "China" I am afraid I mean the same thing as the British Foreign Office mean by China)—" will you put Pekin or China on the list as well as the forty-six stations who are to receive these preparations?" I ask that question. I suggest that it was implied in my previous Question. But I asked it at about a quarter to three and I sincerely trust that now I may have an answer to it. Really, if we are to enlarge and glorify this House, Ministers must learn that they are there to answer questions. That is what is called Parliamentary government.
§ I would add this. People speak as if we are offering a favour or recognizing China by taking this; information from her. Certainly it is vital to us if we are to protect our own people And what about China herself? I say it is just as much our duty to protect the health of millions of Chinese as it is to protect the health of the rest of the world. What is the good of standing together, talking about "a Christian world", if we are going to leave 630 million people without assistance; if we are going to pass by on the other side? I inquired this morning how many fully qualified doctors there are in China. I was told, 20,000. And there are 630 million people. They are struggling, with success, to reconstruct their society and to build up the happiness of their people. So I ask the Government to tell us whether they will make available for China whatever they are making available in the international sphere. They cannot do it singly; they must do it through their international organisation and they must, by some means, improvise a way in which the rupture or crack which has followed the dispute about recognition of Pekin is made good for the public weal.
§ 5.8 p.m.
THE EARL OF ONSLOWMy Lords, the strain of virus which is causing the present epidemic of influenza in Asia and elsewhere has been identified. Laboratory tests have now confirmed that four persons who arrived in this country suffering from influenza had Asiatic influenza, or the Asiatic type of influenza, 811 but there is no indication at present of any material spread of infection of this type of influenza in this country. A vaccine designed to protect against the particular strain of influenza is now being produced on a laboratory scale. It is being tested for efficacy and the results will be known shortly. I should like to point out that the disease is clinically mild and of short duration. It should not be assumed that vaccination would necessarily be an appropriate measure for general use. The noble Viscount added to his Question, if I may say so, by a rather long dissertation on China, which I think is slightly wide of the realm of the Ministry of Health.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEThe question was not addressed to the Ministry of Health. It was addressed to the Government.
THE EARL OF ONSLOWPerhaps what I have to say will give the noble Viscount some comfort. The Pekin Government have not asked the World Health Organisation for any assistance. The World Health Organisation, by its structure, cannot voluntarily interfere in any country that has not asked it to do so, but I feel sure that it would consider any requests from Pekin, or any other country, should they be made.
§ 5.10 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Earl for his courteous reply, which was international in the way I desired, but I would point out to him that only on May 10, at Geneva, the representative instructed by Her Majesty's Government—
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEWhy are four noble Lords saying, "Order, Order!" all together? It is an Unstarred Question.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEWell, we will have the matter cleared up; we will have it cleared up privately. Surely an Unstarred Question gives the questioner the right to reply.
§ VISCOUNT STANSGATEIf that is so, I bow to authority. I only wished to ask why the Government opposed collaboration with China, but I bow to the noble Lords, Lord Mersey, Lord Onslow, and others, who inform me that I am out of order. I certainly shall not transgress, but all the same I am not out of order.
§ House adjourned at twelve minutes past five o'clock.