§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make public the information contained in his Department's weekly communicable disease report.
§ Sir George YoungThe communicable disease report is published by the Public Health Laboratory Service for the operational use of staff working in the public health field. It is based on information, which may be preliminary and subject to confirmation, supplied in professional confidence to the communicable disease surveillance centre. The main medical journals may publish information about occurrences which have been notified in the communicable disease report, and medical officers for environmental health, who receive the Report are in regular touch with general practitioners and make relevant information from it available to them.
We are, however, considering in consultation with the Public Health Laboratory service board the feasibility of making the communicable disease report, or some of the information contained in it, available on a wider bases.