§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the salient facts, given to the hon. Member for Willesden, West in a letter from the Under-Secretary of State dated 4th October 1973, regarding a Press release of a report which has proved non-existent purporting to be that of a scientific committee for the study of fluoridation hazards and which received wide publicity.
§ Mr. AlisonA Press release was put out on 1st August 1973 by the Honorary Secretary of the Scientific Committee for the Study of Fluoridation Hazards, on behalf of the committee, which described certain inquiries it had made into the safety and effects of fluoridation of public water supplies. Subsequently several newspapers stated that the committee had published a report, but the Chief Medical Officer to my Department learned from the secretary that no document had been published and no date had been set for publication. My Department has for some time been aware of the existence of the committee but has no knowledge of a list of members having been published. I cannot agree, in the light of the relevant factual and scientific data available, with the views and arguments put forward by this committee against the fluoridation of public water supplies.