§ Mr. Geoffrey Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research he is undertaking into the extent to which the incidence of tuberculosis among the British-born population has been affected by immigration.
§ Sir K. JosephNo research of this kind is being undertaken or sponsored by my Department. A constant surveillance is472W maintained by local health authorities and there are no indications of a general health hazard arising from the higher rates of tuberculosis experienced by some recently arrived immigrant communities. Records of medical officers of health in areas where the immigrant population has increased most rapidly in recent years suggest that the incidence of tuberculosis among the indigenous population in these areas continues to fall slowly in step with the rate for the country as a whole.