§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he will publish in the Report Official statistics showing how fluoridation of water supplies has improved the health of citizens of Great Britain, together with comparable information for the countries of the European Economic Community, Austria, Greece, Norway, Spain and Sweden;
(2) in view of the fact that, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland, none of the countries of the EEC compulsorily medicates its citizens by fluoridation of the water supplies, whether he will take action to cease this practice in 207W Great Britain until such time as the EEC has discussed and come to a recommendation on the matter.
§ Sir George YoungI refer the hon. Member to the fluoridation studies in the United Kingdom—Reports on the Public Health and Medical Subjects, Nos. 105 HMSO 1962 and 122 HMSO 1969. The 1962 report shows that over the preceding five years the dental health of children as indicated by freedom from caries, had improved more rapidly in those study areas which had been fluoridated than in corresponding unfluoridated control areas.
Comparable information is available from other countries with fluoridation schemes, for example, the United States of America, Canada and Australia, but not generally speaking from countries of the European Economic Community and others mentioned.
As regards Government policy on the practice of fluoridation, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) on 28 July—[Vol. 989, c. 557– 58.]