§ Mr. GROVESasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the large number of cases erroneously notified as diphtheria, especially in the London area, he will consider the desirability of disallowing the fees claimed by the doctors who make such notifications, or otherwise take such action as will prevent the statistical returns issued by his Department being vitiated by these inaccurate records?
§ Sir K. WOODMy right hon. Friend has no authority to disallow the fees payable to medical practitioners for the notification of infectious diseases. A certain proportion of cases notified as diphtheria and admitted to hospital are subsequently considered by the hospital authorities not to be cases of diphtheria, but I am advised that those who make use of the returns issued by my Department for statistical study apply to the figures of notified cases the information available for correction, such as is contained in the Annual Reports of the Metropolitan Asylums Board.