HL Deb 13 June 1979 vol 400 cc611-2
Baroness MASHAM of ILTON

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 they will encourage private schools to offer BCG (vaccination against tuberculosis) to their pupils.

Lord SANDYS

My Lords, advice to Area Health Authorities from the Department of Health and Social Security is that schoolchildren between 10 and 13 years of age should be screened by a skin test with tuberculin and that BCG vaccine should be given to those found to be negative. This advice applies to all children, wherever they are educated.

Baroness MASHAM of ILTON

My Lords, while thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask him whether he is aware that at the present time many children come from abroad and go to private schools, especially from countries such as Hong Kong and Thailand, and is he further aware that the headmasters of many such schools do not know that this service is available? Could the noble Lord help publicise it, so that all children in private schools can take advantage of this service as it is thought necessary?

Lord SANDYS

My Lords, in reply to the noble Baroness's multi-part supplementary question, I think it would be for the convenience of the House if I said that local arrangements are left in the hands of the Area Health Authorities, in co-operation with the schools. I suggest that any failures in these arrangements—and no doubt the noble Baroness has personal knowledge of certain failures—should be taken up with the Area Health Authority concerned. So far as children coming from abroad are concerned, the Government are aware of this particular situation.