HL Deb 04 February 1965 vol 262 cc1245-7

3.16 p.m.

THE EARL OF GAINSBOROUGH

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

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total number of cases in England and Wales of pulmonary tuberculosis at December 31, 1964, or other convenient date:—

  1. (a) notified in respect of Commonwealth immigrants and their dependants;
  2. (b) what proportion this number bears to the total number of Commonwealth immigrants in England and Wales;
  3. (c) what is the total number of cases in the total population of England and Wales.]

THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS AND FOR THE COLONIES (LORD TAYLOR)

My Lords, the total number of cases under supervision for tuberculosis at chest clinics in England and Wales on December 31, 1963, was 346, 371, of whom 16, 343 were new cases of respiratory tuberculosis notified in 1963. More recent figures are not yet available. Separate statistics are not kept for immigrants.

THE EARL OF GAINSBOROUGH

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his Answer, may I ask whether he will bear in mind that the incidence of tuberculosis among immigrants, more particularly in view of the fact that some of these people live in overcrowded housing conditions, is of considerable concern to public health authorities throughout the country? Will he keep the matter under review, bearing in mind the experiment which is now being undertaken at London Airport in screening immigrants for detection of this disease on their arrival in this country?

LORD TAYLOR

Yes, my Lords. The matter will be kept under review, and it is extremely important to make sure that overcrowded housing conditions are dealt with, whether they affect immigrants or other people.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether, when the mass X-ray is made at London Airport and he has these new statistics (and no doubt later on at other airports there will be new statistics), he will ask for them to be broken down, so that there may be an indication as to what part of the Commonwealth these immigrants who are suffering from tuberculosis come from, and particularly, of course, those areas where the highest proportion is found?

LORD TAYLOR

There will certainly be statistics available in due course, I imagine, but it will take quite a time to collect them. They will not be immediately available. The X-ray machine, to which the noble Lord, Lord Newton, gave so much attention when he was in office, is only just coming into operation now. It will be some time before it is in use. The number of immigrants who are not X-rayed, for various statutory reasons and for purely technical reasons, will remain substantial, particularly the short-stay immigrants and the dependants of immigrants, and much will depend on persuasion and good will. But as soon as statistics are available I am sure we shall make them available to the public and to this House.

LORD ROYLE

My Lords, I wonder whether my noble friend can say what the percentage is between the number of new cases in the year he has quoted, as against previous years in recent history?

LORD TAYLOR

Yes, my Lords. The notifications for respiratory tuberculosis have been falling steadily in England and Wales for many years, from about 37, 000 in 1954 to a provisional figure of under 15, 000 in 1964. I stress that the latter is a provisional figure.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, will Her Majesty's Government not try to enlist the support of the High Commissioners of these overseas Commonwealth territories to ensure that their subjects go before mobile X-ray clinics at regular intervals?

LORD TAYLOR

My Lords, we do indeed seek to enlist the support of the High Commissioners to make sure that everything possible and practical is done; but, unfortunately, in many of these territories there are no mobile X-ray units, or there is only a limited number of them, and so we cannot do everything he would wish in this direction.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, the noble Lord misunderstood me. I meant, in the towns of this country where the immigrants chiefly are.

LORD TAYLOR

Yes, my Lord, certainly.

THE EARL OF GAINSBOROUGH

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for his Answer, and also to the noble Lady and other noble Lords who have taken an interest in this matter.