Mr. POINTERasked the President of the Local Government Board whether, seeing the prevalence of the practice of vaccinating children under 14 days in various unions, he will take steps to prevent the provisions of Section 1, Sub-section (5), of the Vaccination Act, 1898, from becoming a dead letter, by issuing an Order to prohibit the vaccination of infants in workhouse infirmaries without the previous written permission of the parent?
§ Mr. BURNSI am not aware that the practice prevails in various unions of compelling the parent of a child born in the workhouse to have the child vaccinated 2131W within 14 days of the birth. It is against compulsion of this kind that the Sub-section is directed. I do not think it is necessary to issue any Order on the subject, but if any case is brought to my notice in which any such compulsion as I have referred to is alleged to have been exercised, I will investigate the matter.