HL Deb 23 January 1962 vol 236 cc830-2

2.39 p.m.

LORD COLWYN

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is intended to reintroduce compulsory vaccination in early infancy.]

LORD NEWTON

No, my Lords. Experience before and since the abolition of compulsory vaccination does not suggest that reintroduction of the scheme would secure better results than the present voluntary arrangements.

LORD AMULREE

My Lords, would it be possible for Her Majesty's Government to say what number of children below the age of one year were vaccinated in 1960, as compared with the number vaccinated in 1947? Can the noble Lord give me the answer now or will he give it to me later on?

LORD NEWTON

My Lords, I will give the noble Lord such information as I have. In the ten years 1929–1938 the average annual rate of vaccination of children under the age of six months was 36.9 per cent. The corresponding rate for the ten years 1937–1946 was 36–8 per cent. Under the voluntary arrangements the rate for infants under one year had risen to 45 per cent. by 1959, although it fell to 41–3 per cent. in 1960.

LORD DOUGLAS OF BARLOCH

My Lords, is it not a fact that in the years 1948–1960, 27 persons died of smallpox in this country, and 54, or twice as many, died of vaccination? Must not that and many other facts entirely discredit the idea of compulsory vaccination?

LORD NEWTON

My Lords, if true, that is very interesting information. But I should not like to give any support to the idea of discouraging parents from having their children voluntarily vaccinated within about six months of birth.

SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS

Hear, hear!

LORD TAYLOR

My Lords, assuming that what my noble friend said is true, as I think it is, is not the trouble that these people were vaccinated for the first time in adult life and it is because they were vaccinated then that the risk of encephalitis was greatly increased? Ought we not to be pressing therefore with all the force we can to get every baby vaccinated in infancy, when it is virtually safe, and when subsequent revaccination, if required, is equally safe?

LORD NEWTON

I am grateful to my noble friend for reinforcing so strongly what I said just now about the importance of voluntary vaccination for children.

LORD DOUGLAS OF BARLOCH

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether it is not a fact that, in the group up to five years of age, in the 20 years or so up to 1960 there was one death from smallpox and there were numerous deaths from vaccination every year?

LORD NEWTON

My Lords, I frankly do not know, and I should need notice to be able to answer the noble Lord on that point. But I still hope that he is not trying to discourage the general public from having their children vaccinated.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether he has obtained his information from the death certificates or from the propaganda of the Anti-vaccination League?

THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)

My Lords, the House should remember that it is for noble Lords to ask the Government questions and not for noble Lords to ask the Government to ask questions of their noble friend.

THE EARL OF SWINTON

My Lords, may I then ask the Government a question referring to the statistics given by the noble Lord? Even assuming that they are correct and that the noble Lord never makes a mistake in his logic concerning facts at his disposal, would it not be more relevant, if it were possible, to produce statistics of the number of people who have escaped death from smallpox by having been vaccinated at a very early age?

LORD NEWTON

My Lords, I think that might be very helpful, if it could be done.