§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what investigation he has made into the statement of Sir Charles Stewart Harris, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Immunisation and Vaccination, that many of the cases of vaccine damage reported by the doctors are not likely to have any connection with vaccination;
(2) how many of the children who have died from whooping-cough in each of the last 10 years have been under the age of one year and therefore unable to benefit from any possible vaccine;
(3) if he will publish the evidence he has showing that the gains from whooping-cough vaccine outweigh the risks;
(4) on what basis he advocates the continued use of the whooping-cough vaccine in view of the lack of available estimates;
(5) if he intends to continue his policy of not recommending the complete immunisation of children under the age of one year; and what are the reasons for this policy.
§ Mr. EnnalsI am making inquiries and will publish answers in theOfficial Report as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, pursuant to his statement that not all adverse reactions to whooping-cough vaccine are reported by doctors, he will estimate the percentage of adverse reactions which actually occur.
§ Mr. EnnalsI am advised by the Committee on Safety of Medicines that no figures are available which would allow the extent of under-reporting of adverse reactions to be measured. It therefore follows that the precise incidence of adverse reactions to whooping-cough vaccine is not known.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, whether Professor Stewart has yet presented his 65W full evidence to the joint committee; and whether it agreed with his view that social conditions have a greater influence than take up of immunisation on the incidence of whooping-cough.
§ Mr. Ennals,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 307–310], gave the following information:
Professor Stewart is meeting a sub-committee of the joint committee shortly. Social conditions can influence incidence; the extent of the influence is a matter on which experts may hold different views.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, how many people have provided evidence, written or oral to the joint committee on aspects of whooping-cough vaccination in the last three years;
(2) pursuant to his reply of 17th January 1977, how many reports, final and interim, on aspects of whooping cough have been received by the joint committee in each of the last three years; how many of them have been published; how many of those unpublished have been made available on request; and how many have been kept confidential.
§ Mr. Ennals,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 307–310], gave the following information:
The joint committee has considered the results of all relevant research available to it. It is not possible to list these items of research, or the workers concerned, without undue expense; nor to publish reports which have normally already been published.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the Joint Committee has done any research on the relationship between the incidence of whooping cough and (a) living conditions, including levels of maternal and medical care, and (b) take up rates of whooping cough vaccination; and, if so, if he will publish it.
§ Mr. Ennals,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 307–310], gave the following information:
66WThe joint committee does not undertake research itself, although it has proposed or arranged research by others. The possibility of research on the subjects mentioned is under examination.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, if he will clarify the meaning of the word "offer" used in his statement of 8th February when he said that the policy of offering the whooping-cough vaccine should not be changed; whether the committee unanimously favour the present policy or whether some; and, if so, how many of the committee favour a selective offering of the vaccine.
§ Mr. Ennals,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 307–310], gave the following information:
"Offer" in this context means make available and make known. As the statement made clear, the recommendation that policy on whooping-cough vaccine should not be changed was made unanimously by the joint committee.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he has taken steps to discover the criteria for establishing that brain damage is caused by vaccination used by countries which have compensation schemes; and if he will detail them;
(2) if he will list the European countries which pay compensation for vaccine damage, stating in each case whether vaccination for any disease is compulsory, and, if so, whether compensation is paid only for damage arising from the compulsory vaccination; and if he will give details of the rôle the Government play in the encouragement of immunisation in each country.
§ Mr. Ennals,pursuant to his reply, [Official Report,17th February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 307–10] gave the following information:
My officials are in touch with officials in a number of other countries on this question and I will inform my hon. Friend when my information is complete.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the 67W Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has asked the German authorities for figures of the incidence of whooping-cough in Hamburg and nationally before and after the whooping-cough vaccine was dropped.
§ Mr. Ennals,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th February 1977; Vol. 926, c. 307–10], gave the following information:
The Joint Committee has not sought the information about whooping-cough mentioned by my hon. Friend but I would refer him to my reply to the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) on 17th January.—[Vol. 924, c. 150–1.] As I then said, whooping-cough vaccine has not been dropped in West Germany.