§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that the ratio of exemptions from vaccination is progressively increasing and the ratio of small-pox deaths correspondingly decreasing, he will consider legislation to amend the obligatory vaccination laws and put them in such a way that persons who themselves desire or desire their children to be vaccinated should apply for such publicly assisted service, not, as at present, that those who desire to be exempt must apply?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI am not prepared at present to consider the question of legislation on the lines suggested by the hon. Member.
§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health whether it is still the practice to pay public vaccinators twice over for their work, firstly in the ordinary course, and secondly a special award under Section 6 of the Vaccination Act, 1867?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINAwards are still payable to public vaccinators in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 of the Vaccination Act, 1867, on reports made to my Department with regard to the number and quality of the vaccinations performed, and it is provided in the Section that any payments so awarded shall be in addition to the payments received by public vaccinators from the guardians.
§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health whether he will present figures showing the total amount of public money spent in England and Wales upon the services of public vaccinators?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on the 30th November showing,inter alia, the approximate expenditure incurred out of public funds in recent years in respect of public vaccination. I regret that separate figures are not available showing the amounts spent upon the services of public vaccinators.
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§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the fact that for the year 1921 in England and Wales, with a population of 37,886,000 and births in the year 848,814, the total deaths from small-pox were five only?
§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health the rules and conditions governing the special payments to public vaccinators under Section 5 of the Vaccination Act, 1867, and what were the average amounts of these special awards per child vaccinated during each of the past six years?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI will send the hon. Member a statement of the rules and conditions governing these payments. The following statement shows approximately the average amount of these awards per child vaccinated, as certified for payment during each of the past six years ending on the 30th September:
Pence. 1919 … … … 4.4 1920 … … … 12.6 1921 … … … 11.4 1922 … … … 10.9 1923 … … … 8.7 1924 … … … 8.6
§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health the proportion of vaccinated to unvaccinated children up to the age of 10 years, and whether there has been any progressive change in this proportion for the past 10 years?