§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services to what factors he attributes the decrease in the number of children seen by school nurses in 1984 as compared with 1980.
698W
§ Mr. WhitneyThe decrease of 2 per cent. between 1980 and 1984 in the number of children seen by school nurses in England coincided with a fall of 10 per cent. in the maintained school population. The percentage of pupils seen by nurses rose from 54 per cent. in 1980 to 59 per cent. in 1984.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the figures for the number of children seen by school nurses in 1979 in his answer of 18 December 1985, Official Report, column 237, is strictly comparable with those for the succeeding years.
§ Mr. Whitney1979 was the first year for which this information was collected centrally and reporting was less complete than in later years. I am sorry that an explanatory note to this effect was not included in my previous reply.