§ Mr. Geraint Howellsasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will give an estimate of the additional cost in providing doctors and nurses to perform the medical examination which it is proposed to carry out on all children during the pre-school period, assuming full application throughout Wales alone; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what will be the estimated cost—in 1976 values—which will be incurred by the computerised standard child health system now being developed by the Welsh Health Technical Service organisation when it has been fully applied to England and Wales; and if he will make a statement;
(3) whether the representatives of general practitioners and hospital doctors were consulted prior to introducing the standard child health system; whether they will be required to notify all illnesses of their child patients to the computer centre; and if he will make a statement;
584W(4) whether the inclusion of the child's name in the computerised child register will be compulsory or whether parents will be permitted to opt out of the system; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Barry JonesConsideration is being given to the introduction of a standard computer-based child health system, to replace a variety of local arrangements. This consideration is being taken in stages, and medical interests, including general practitioners and hospital doctors, are involved in this process. Trials of two parts of the system—a child register and immunisation—are being conducted by 10 health authorities in England and Wales to establish the costs involved. The pre-school health part of the system is at a very early stage, while the part concerned with school health has yet to be considered. It will be for health authorities to decide which parts, if any, they adopt. It is a statutory requirement for a birth to be notified to an area health authority; but it would still be for the parent or guardian to decide whether to accept appointments offered, for example, for immunisation.