§ Mr. CartwrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has received about the incidence of head lice infestation among primary school children; and what advice his Department is offering to local education authorities.
§ Mr. FreemanInformation about the incidence of head lice infestation is not available in the precise form requested. However, we do have the following details:
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Health surveillance by nurses: maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools Number of infestations1 1987–88 England Number of pupils examined (thousands) 4,546.3 Number of pupils found to be infested (thousands) 91.4 Infested pupils as a percentage of the maintained school population 1.27 1 Infestations include head lice, vermin, scabies, ringworm, impetigo and verrucae. Responsibility for the control of head lice infection among pupils lies with individual health authorities through the school health services. It is for them to determine the policy for dealing with this problem in the light of local circumstances. Many have stopped routine head inspections and are now adopting more positive practices through health education programmes and advice to parents and children on head lice infestation and how to deal with the problem.