§ Lord AVEBURYasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Department of Health and Social Security will examine the work done by the Greater Glasgow Health Board in their campaign to eradicate rickets;what information they have about the rickets morbidity of the Greater Glasgow population over the last three years;whether they will invite Dr. Matthew Dunnigan, a consultant paediatrician with detailed knowledge of the Greater Glasgow programme, to serve on the working party on rickets set up by the Minister of Health, and whether they will state the budget for this working party for the financial year 1980–81.
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEThe Department of Health and Social Security is aware of the Glasgow campaign and will continue to keep itself informed. I understand that figures for the incidence of rickets in Glasgow for the years after 1976 have not yet been published, but on the evidence so far available it appears to have declined substantially. The working group to which the noble Lord's Question refers was set up in order to consider ways of increasing the awareness of the Asian community in the United Kingdom of the causes and prevention of rickets. Its membership is therefore confined to officials, Asian community leaders, and experts in the field of health education and community relations. The estimated cost of the group for 1980–81 is £600 for travel and subsistence. A budget has not yet been agreed for publicity on the prevention of rickets.